


We Have You, We'll Keep You

by evilkillerpoptarts



Series: It's Always Midday on Florrum [5]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Bacara is in denial about what his daughter is capable of, Command chat is too useful to retire, Descriptions of injuries to a minor, Do not piss off the medic, Don't touch the booze Neyo sent Bacara, Fanfiction of a Fanfiction, Gen, Hardcase is perceptive but when it's other people and inconvenient, He also does not care, Healthy Adult Conversation, Hondo Ohnaka is a big softie, Hondo Ohnaka: Agent of Chaos, Kit is a Jedi and thus is not exempt from the "horrifying Jedi choices" rule, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Podfic Welcome, Rex had plans but not for this, Shebse being Shebse, Slice of Life, Soft Wars fanfic, Spite Bore and Daan are Projie's, Star Wars AU - Soft Wars, Star Wars AU-AU - Soft Wars, We don't know what's in it and are afraid to ask, What's On The Chip, Yes Hondo does know where the spaceport is, again for the folks in the back- everyone gets therapy, caf that is 78 percent coffee and whipped cream by volume requires sprinkles, everyone gets therapy, hence the rating, it's always Midday on Florrum, nothing graphic but I don't want to alarm, please don't forget the baby has gills, rational division of household labor, so is everyone else
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25205032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilkillerpoptarts/pseuds/evilkillerpoptarts
Summary: They'd discussed it before, of course; both in more serious conversations and late night what-ifs. Always in the abstract.Then Cody slipped a tiny bundle into Bacara’s arms and those dreams were suddenly a reality he desperately wanted.
Relationships: CC-1138 | Bacara/Kit Fisto/CT 7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: It's Always Midday on Florrum [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812385
Comments: 391
Kudos: 452
Collections: Open Source Soft Wars





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Project0506](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, have the "2 am brainstorm that saw me yelling in Wander's general direction for a half-hour last week." There will be more Rexcara both before and after this fic but this section wanted to be written NOW.
> 
> Many thanks to the Discord for helping me figure things out, and to Wander, GoBayern, and Shira for betas!

  


Over the years of getting to know Hondo Ohnaka, initially as an annoyance but later as an ally and somehow a friend, Cody had seen a wide range of emotions from the weequay. Hondo was ordinarily larger than life, gregarious and friendly, even when casually robbing someone of all their personal possessions or holding Kenobi for ransom, just for fun. At times he was serious when he had the need to be but it was for brief chunks of time. His penchant for being an absolute menace was tempered by his kindness for children. Cody was well aware of just how much candy and toys was on Hondo’s person when he was roaming around on Concord Dawn, and the Littles were so fond of him many called him ba’vodu. Aside from occasionally getting his goggles and hat snatched by Widget and Gizmo, Hondo was always put together and composed.

  


Cody had very deliberately left a significant chunk of land near his house empty for when Hondo couldn’t be bothered to land at the spaceport like a normal person (“A common tourist!” he had protested on more than one occasion.) Hondo generally chose odd hours to show up, mostly out of a deep-seated need to be annoying, and Cody simply accepted that this was as much a part of his life now as the vode and Obi-Wan. Inexplicable as the tides and unchangeable as the seasons.

  


It was a rare day off when the familiar roar of Hondo’s ship breaking atmo rattled everything in the kitchen. Cody was blessedly already on his second cup of caf. Obi-Wan was still in bed but would undoubtedly be getting up now; there was no such thing as a late morning lie-in with Ohnaka tromping around the place.

  


Cody went to the door to see Hondo in once the ship had landed and shut down. Hondo stomped down the gangplank, a bundle held tightly in his arms. A Force-sensitive child drop-off again, then. While Hondo knew where the temple was, _and the temple’s landing pad,_ he still brought his foundlings to Cody and Obi-Wan first.

  


“Good morning, Hondo,” Cody greeted, slightly unnerved that Hondo had yet to start talking. The silent pirate brushed past him and into the kitchen, still holding his bundle tightly.

  


There was a bloody boot print on the floor.

  


Alarmed, Cody gave Hondo a once-over. Hondo was covered in blood and viscera but not all of it appeared to be his. The blankets he was holding were similarly filthy.

  


“Hondo?”

  


Hondo said nothing, simply holding out the bundle to Cody. Holding it carefully, Cody peeled back the blankets to see a sleeping Nautolan infant. The child was covered in injuries, bruises and cuts marring what little skin Cody could see. It blinked wide, hazy eyes at him and started to fuss, clearly distressed.

  


“Hondo, what _happened_?” Cody demanded, unwrapping the child to better gauge its injuries. The more he uncovered the worse it was, and the louder the baby wailed. “Obi-Wan! I need your help!”

  


“You do not want to know what happened, Vod’alor,” Hondo said softly, voice tight. “Only that the child is now safe and the ones responsible are very, very dead.”

  


For all Cody knew Hondo had taken life, what with being a pirate, he was no brazen murderer. Yet Cody _knew_ down to his marrow that Hondo had killed for this infant.

  


“All of them?”

  


“All of them,” Hondo confirmed. “And then burned everything down to make sure.”

  


“Are you injured?”

  


“Quite possibly, yes.” Hondo pulled out a chair and flopped onto it as Obi-Wan finally made an appearance, still rumpled with sleep. He rushed to Cody’s side without a word, alarmed at the state of both the infant and Hondo.

  


“I’m calling Bore,” Cody said, allowing Obi-Wan to take over. “Do whatever Force-healing you need to, to keep them alive.” Obi-Wan nodded as Cody stepped out onto the porch to call the medic. He was relieved to hear the baby’s cries die down as Obi-Wan murmured soft assurances that it would be well soon.

  


“Bore here,” came the tinny voice over the comm once it connected.

  


“I’ve got another one of Hondo’s drop-offs. Nautolan infant. Both are injured,” Cody said briefly. “Hondo’s bad. I need you and someone else, now.”

  


“Already on my way,” Bore promised and hung up. Cody paced a bit on the porch, staring at the bloody boot prints leading into his house. Hondo either had been very close to Concord Dawn when he’d been in this fight or he was more injured than he was giving away.

  


“Bore's coming,” Cody reported as he stepped back into the kitchen. Already the infant looked healthier, most of the bruises and injuries healing as Obi-Wan poured the Force into their tiny body. “Obi-Wan, is any of this life-threatening?” he asked his husband softly. When he received a headshake, Cody pried the baby away and nudged him towards Hondo. “Check him. There’s a trail of blood out to his ship, there’s no way it’s not his.”

  


Hondo’s knuckles were battered and bleeding and he had taken a few blows to the face that were starting to bruise. He was still silent, which was the most unnerving part of all. He allowed Obi-Wan to coax him out of his coat and Cody winced as he saw the shape the pirate was in; several deep slashes across his chest were sluggishly bleeding, soaking through his clothes. There was no way Bore wasn’t going to drag him back to the hospital to stick him in bacta.

  


Cody glanced down at the infant, glad it had fallen asleep again. It looked better than when Cody had first seen it, but its skin was sallow and it seemed undernourished. Cody may not have had vast experience with Nautolan infants in particular but he knew he should not be able to feel tiny ribs so sharply under his fingertips. It was a relief when he heard the roar of two speederbikes approaching. He held the child close and stepped away from the door, letting Bore and Spite in. Spite zeroed in on Hondo and Bore rounded on Cody, scanner in hand.

  


“Obi-Wan’s done some Force healing on the baby,” Cody said. “It was a mess of bruises and cuts when they got here. I don’t know what happened, Hondo won’t tell me.”

  


Bore nodded, running a scanner over Cody’s tiny charge, and glanced back at Hondo. “They’re both going to the hospital,” he said firmly. “Hondo needs a bacta tank and this one is not well.” He and Spite easily levered a woozy Hondo out of his chair and headed for the speeders. Cody followed onto the porch, numb.

  


“Go,” Obi-Wan suggested. “I’ll clean up around here and meet you at the hospital.” Cody nodded gratefully, doing as he was told. He wasn’t letting go of this child until he had to.

  


~~~~~

  


“Hondo didn’t tell you anything at all about how, or where, he found this little girl?” Bore asked as he hung multiple IV bags to set up a drip, interrogating Cody at the same time.

  


Cody shook his head. “Just that everyone who hurt her was dead and that he burned the place down after,” he replied, forcing himself to stay out of Bore’s way. “He said I didn’t want to know.” He watched as Bore delicately inserted an IV on the baby’s wrist, securely taping it down to the back of her hand, before clicking the drips open and pushing a syringe of medication in as well. The baby fussed, starting to wake now that she was being prodded more, the calm from Obi-Wan’s Force healing wearing off.

  


“Shhh, you’re alright,” Bore murmured, carefully arranging her so she didn’t tug on the IV. “I know it hurts, but I’ve got you.” He turned his attention briefly to Cody. “I don’t care if _you_ don’t want to know, _I_ want to know,” Bore growled. “Especially if what happened to her isn’t an isolated case.”

  


“You’ll have to get it out of Hondo when he comes out of bacta, then.” Cody watched as Bore ran further scans and started bathing her and cleaning her injuries. She made it clear that she was not thrilled with her predicament, her fussing soon turning to wailing. Bore continued to talk to her softly, making promises that he’d be done soon and she’d feel much better. Once Bore moved on from cleaning to gathering bacta and bandages Cody finally was able to get a good look at the infant. Her skin was a soft shade of blue with a smattering of darker blue and purple speckles. A crown of tiny nubs wreathed her head, the start of the lekku that would grow there. She was still crying, but that seemed to be slowing as whatever medication Bore had given her took effect. “...How is she?” Cody hazarded.

  


“Dehydrated, undernourished, plenty of both recent and old injuries. She’s never had it easy; she’s nearly three months and much smaller than she should be.” Bore’s voice was strained as he tried to keep his voice soft. “That’s why I want to know where she came from. There might be others, Cody. Nautolans lay multiple eggs at a time, she could have siblings.”

  


“She was alone, or Hondo would’ve brought the rest.” Of that, Cody was certain. Hondo was practically vode in his need to protect the vulnerable littles he came across. “Why aren’t you putting her in a bacta tank?”

  


“I don’t have the right breathing apparatus for a Nautolan child this small,” Bore replied, carefully slathering her remaining cuts and bruises with bacta and wrapping gauze over it to keep it in place. “Obviously I’ll be fixing that. Either way, whatever Force healing Obi-Wan did healed any internal injuries and bacta doesn’t help dehydration or malnutrition.” Bore finished his ministrations by wrapping the infant first in a damp blanket and then a water-resistant dry one, and without fanfare pressing her into Cody’s arms. “Hold her,” he ordered, as if Cody needed to be told twice. “She needs the touch and body heat. Mind her IV. I’m going to go get an incubator.”

  


Careful not to jostle her too much, Cody held her close. Bore nudged a chair in his direction and he sat, a bit overwhelmed. This was… not how he’d planned his day. Once satisfied that Cody would be fine, Bore disappeared, leaving Cody alone with the infant. Cody hummed tunelessly, rocking her. She slowly settled and fell asleep, clearly exhausted. Bore returned with both an incubator, which he set up with practiced ease, and Obi-Wan, whom he nudged in Cody’s general direction. “Found him out in the lobby. Do you want to keep holding her?”

  


“Yes, if that’s alright?”

  


“Her vitals are all good, and she clearly needs the touch.” Bore smiled. “I’ll be back to check on her in a bit.”

  


“Today has certainly been interesting,” Obi-Wan said as he pulled up a chair to sit beside him, concern shining in his eyes. “How is the little one?”

  


“She’s going to be okay,” Cody replied. She already looked better. She’d woken a time or two, but she hadn’t made a peep, just snuggled down into his arms and went back to sleep. Her coloring was deepening and becoming more vibrant as her skin absorbed the moisture of the blanket and the saline both, and the bacta was doing its job. “I guess we contact the creche now?”

  


Obi-Wan shook his head. “This little one isn’t Force sensitive,” Obi-Wan replied. He reached out to carefully stroke across her cheek. “I don’t know what Hondo wandered into but this isn’t one of his usual… deliveries.”

  


“Not Force sensitive… so anyone could adopt her.” Cody smiled softly to himself. “I think I might have just the right parents in mind.”

  


~~~~~

  


It took three days before Bore was satisfied with the baby girl’s condition and discharged her. Hondo was already gone; he’d had a brief conversation with Bore after getting out of the bacta and promptly disappeared without a single word spoken to anyone else. Bore wouldn’t answer any of Cody’s questions, repeating Hondo’s assurance that he didn’t want to know. The medic provided him with a datapad of how to care for a baby Nautolan, two crates of supplies, and adoption forms filled out with his initial and current health assessments, locked behind medic codes. “Good luck,” he’d said, and it wasn’t long at all before Cody was walking up a familiar path to a house that bordered the ocean.

  


Cody tapped on the door, smiling at Rex when he answered. “Afternoon,” he greeted. “Is Bacara around?”

  


“Yes,” Rex replied, trying to see what Cody was holding. “What brings you out here?”

  


“A hunch.” Cody smiled at his brother and shifted his grip to allow Rex a peek at what he was holding. Rex took a shaky breath.

  


“Cody… where…”

  


“Later,” Cody promised. He stepped further inside, pleased to find Bacara sitting on the couch. He’d clearly interrupted them watching something, which Bacara paused as Cody walked in. He looked confused as well; Cody didn’t exactly stop by to crash on their couch anymore, after all. Cody reached out, gently placing his bundle in Bacara’s arms. “She doesn’t have a name just yet,” Cody said softly, watching as a dozen expressions flitted across Bacara’s face as he took in the soft blue face and wide black eyes. Somehow despite what she’d been through, she was comfortable around vode, and Bacara was no exception. “She just arrived a few days ago, and I thought you two might be interested in-”

  


“Yes,” Bacara said quickly, eyes welling with tears. “If- Rex?”

  


Rex was eagerly nodding and fiddling with his comm. Kit soon answered, and Cody backed up against the far wall, thrilled to just watch.

  


“Kit,” Rex said, almost breathless. “I…”

  


“What’s wrong?” Kit asked quickly. “Was someone hurt?”

  


“No, just... Kit, you’ve gotta see this.” He crossed the room to sit beside Bacara, who gently shifted the infant up so Kit could see. “Kit, look.”

  


Whatever Kit said wasn’t in Basic but both men nodded in agreement.

  


“She’s perfect,” Bacara said softly. “Kit, she’s _perfect._ ”

  


“She is. Hold that thought,” Kit said, and the holo blurred as he broke into a run, audibly skidding around a corner. “MACE!” The baby squirmed at the noise, squeaking unhappily. Bacara was quick to soothe her, rocking her back to calm, as Rex shifted away and dialed down the volume of his comm. There was an echoing thump of two bodies colliding and Mace swore colorfully.

  


“Something had better be on fire,” Mace growled. Kit’s holo steadied now that he was no longer chasing down the head of the order after a council meeting and tackling him into the lift. Rather than answer, Kit thrust his comm forward. Rex obligingly tipped his own to show off the baby. If Bacara’s completely gobsmacked expression happened to be included, nobody said anything.

  


“I need to go,” Kit said simply, and hopped back off the lift. The doors closed before Mace had a chance to ask anything. Kit beamed at Rex and Bacara. “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promised. “I’ll comm once I’m underway.”

  


In less than thirty seconds Cody’s own comm chirped. He glanced at the frequency and groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  


Rex glanced up. “Ponds?”

  


“Ponds.”

  


“Damn Mace commed him fast.”

  


“Sure did.” Cody ignored the chiming. “Bore sent a couple crates of baby supplies to get you started. I’ll go get them and try to distract Ponds.” He headed out to the speeder, finally answering the comm so Ponds would stop pinging it.

  


“Afternoon,” he said dryly, detaching the cords holding the crates to the back of the speeder. He hefted one, juggling it a bit to manage to hold it securely while still making eye contact with his brother.

  


“Mace just asked me when Rex and Bacara adopted a baby, Cody. A _baby._ Which I know nothing about.”

  


“I don’t know anything about them adopting a baby either,” Cody replied with a shrug as he set the crate down in the sitting room. Ponds looked frantic.

  


“Cody you are IN THEIR HOUSE. What is going on?”

  


“That seems like something you should maybe ask Rex,” Cody suggested as he walked back outside. He leaned against the speeder. “Later. In a couple days.”

  


“So they did?” Ponds’ eyes somehow widened further.

  


“Nothing’s formal yet. Let Rex comm you, Ponds. This was sort of… sudden.”

  


Ponds’ expression was suspicious. “Do I need to come Home?”

  


“Little gods, Ponds, relax.” Cody smiled. “Let Rex’ika settle, okay? They’re not going anywhere. I promise.”

  


“Fine. But there had better be pictures, Cody.”

  


“Bye, Ponds,” Cody said, hanging up without dignifying that with a response. He collected the second crate and carried it back inside. “There’s a datapad in one of these with some Nautolan-specific information,” he said, opening the crates and rummaging around. “Also the adoption forms, and god only knows what else. Bore said it was everything you’d need, though.” Locating the datapad in the second crate, he glanced up when neither responded, smiling fondly at just how entranced they were, talking softly to one another. “Rex?”

  


“Yeah?” Rex finally dragged his attention back over to Cody.

  


“Here.” Cody handed him the datapad. “This’ll probably help, until Kit arrives. Bore and Obi-Wan are the only ones who know right now. Do you want me to run interference with our brothers?”

  


“Please.” Rex glanced back at the baby- his _daughter_ \- again. “Thank you.”

  


“You’re welcome. Congratulations.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> Ba'vodu: nongendered; uncle or aunt  
> Vode: brothers; in this case, the Clones as a people
> 
> Y'all... y'all. There is 1 (one) canon Nautolan toddler and their design is AWFUL. It's a season 1 or 2 episode so things were quite a bit more... clunky. I based this one a bit more off of Zatt and what little there was to be gleaned from Wookiepedia. Nautolans hatch from eggs and their first two years are spent in a "tadpole" stage as their limbs develop, and then after that they're human infant-equivalent. So little miss here is out of that first stage and three months into the infant-equivalent. Nautolans are amphibious, as well.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody _did_ promise to run interference with the Shebse.

  


Cody hadn’t even made it back outside to his speeder when the Priority chat pinged.

  


_ Priority Alert _

  


_Wolffe: Cody. Why is Ponds freaking out at me about Rex and Bacara adopting a baby. Why is this my problem? This seems like a you problem. Or, you know, a REX problem._

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Ponds: Well I can’t ask REX and YOU’RE on planet_

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Wolffe: So’s Bly, I don’t give a shit_

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Ponds: Bly isn’t answering his comm and you live closer_

  


Cody sighed. The chat system had proved to be inordinately helpful for coordinating a planet, but he still had no control over the damn thing.

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Cody: Announcement: Rex and Bacara are **considering** adopting a baby. The baby is currently at their house with them. Which means they are **busy**. Any and all questions are to be sent directly to me._

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Cody: ...Also if I find out that ANY of you showed up at their house uninvited I will END YOU._

  


_ Priority Alert Deactivated _

  


_ Priority Alert Activated _

  


_Neyo: WAIT THE MARINE HAS A BABY_

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Cody: Neyo. Message me directly please. Like I just asked._

  


_ Priority Alert Deactivated _

  


_ Priority Alert Activated _

  


_Neyo: No this is IMPORTANT. Where did they find a BABY?_

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Ponds: That’s what I’d like to know!_

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Doom: I AM TRYING TO FISH. SHUT UP._

  


_ Priority Response _

  


_Cody: Neyo. Ponds. Message me directly or I’m getting your partners involved and it will not end well for you._

  


_ Priority Alert Deactivated _

  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex has some planning to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Shira and Wander for betas. :)

  


They'd discussed it before, of course; both in more serious conversations and late night what-ifs. Always in the abstract.

  


Then Cody slipped a tiny bundle into Bacara’s arms and those dreams were suddenly a reality he desperately wanted.

  


“She doesn’t have a name just yet,” Cody was saying, though it was so much white noise. Bacara could do nothing but stare at the infant in his arms. She was unbelievably tiny, with cerulean skin with speckles of darker blue and purple. Her wide dark eyes were so much like Kit’s it made something in his heart ache. “She just arrived a few days ago, and I thought you two might be interested in-”

  


“Yes,” Bacara interrupted. “If- Rex?” A glance at his husband saw him emphatically nodding and fiddling with his comm. Bacara glanced back down, gently stroking her cheek with a finger. She squirmed a bit, smiling up at him. He couldn’t help but smile back.

  


“Kit,” Rex said. Bacara wasn’t surprised he’d been frantically calling Kit. “I…”

  


“What’s wrong?” Kit asked quickly. “Was someone hurt?”

  


“No, just... Kit, you’ve gotta see this.” Rex crossed the room and sat next to Bacara, leaning a bit so he could show Kit the baby. “Kit, look.”

  


Kit breathed something in his native language. Bacara nodded, knowing the meaning though he didn’t know the words.

  


“She’s perfect.” Bacara couldn’t get past that part and he _needed_ his partners to know. “Kit, she’s _perfect._ ”

  


“She is. Hold that thought,” Kit said, and there was a moment of running before he shouted “MACE!” The baby squirmed at the noise, squeaking unhappily. Bacara quickly soothed her as Rex retreated with the noisy comm. "You're okay," Bacara whispered, tucking her close to his chest. “You’re okay, he’s just… enthusiastic.”

  


“Something had better be on fire,” Mace growled somewhere to Bacara's left. Rex reappeared over his shoulder, undoubtedly showing the baby to the head of the order.

  


“I need to go,” Kit said to Mace, before returning his attention to Rex and Bacara. “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promised. “I’ll comm once I’m underway.”

  


Rex and Cody were talking again, Cody bringing in things for the baby from outside. He heard what was undoubtedly Ponds demanding to know what was going on. A datapad was pressed into Rex's hands and Cody left, leaving them in silence.

  


"When we talked about a kid before, I definitely imagined a human," Bacara said softly. "We're going to _need_ Kit's help to raise her. Do you think he'll want to stay?"

  


"He just tackled Mace into an elevator," Rex pointed out with a smirk. "He's at least thinking about it."

  


Bacara nodded, letting it drop for now. Kit would call back soon and it was a five or six day trip anyway. There was plenty of time. He glanced over at Rex, who was predictably reading the datapad with single-minded focus. Bacara felt like he should be doing something constructive, such as determining what, exactly, was in those crates, but at the same time he was holding a miracle and that required his full attention.

  


Rex had started rummaging through crates to identify items when his comm pinged.

  


“You’re already on your way? How’d you find a transport that fast?”

  


“I didn’t,” Kit replied. “I have a hyperspace transport ring.”

  


“Kit.” Rex stood up to better scold him.

  


“Rex,” Kit countered. “Five days is too long. You need me there. I can make it in four, like this.” Rex rolled his eyes and sat down beside Bacara again, grinning at Kit’s awestruck expression once he could see the baby again. “I’m willing to rush for her.”

  


“That’s some Obi-Wan level _osik,_ Kit, and you know it.”

  


“During the war I went without sleep for five days more than once,” Kit insisted.

  


Bacara gave him a droll look. “As did we. And when was the last time you did that since it ended?” Kit didn’t answer. Bacara just smirked at him. “That’s what I thought.”

  


“We have a datapad about the care and feeding of Nautolan infants and two crates of baby supplies,” Rex said, interrupting Kit and Bacara’s silent battle of wills. “And a limited amount of time before she needs something and we don’t know what it is. I have some questions.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a
> 
> Osik: shit


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit has some Stupid Jedi Decisions to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Shira for betaing. :)

  
He loved them, these two men. Both were steadfast and determined, designed to be soldiers and nothing more but they forever strove to rise above that. Rex, with his clever mind and frankly adorable inability to cope with _flirting_ of all things had drawn him in from the start. Quiet competence with a penchant for mischief had always been one of Kit's weaknesses. Bacara had come later, and that had been a much slower process. He had been isolated and broken early in his life and pressed on regardless, but Bacara was more deeply wounded than he ever showed. Rex seemed to be the only one he'd ever allowed so intimately close and Kit was humbled to be the second.

Watching them come into themselves, find their footing in a galaxy that tried to take away their humanity and grow into the identities they’d forged? It was beautiful. Kit orbited them like a binary star. He’d had much to think about in the last few years, as the Order changed its stance on attachment and love, how he fit into their relationship, where all of their wants and desires met. Forever in their orbit but never quite bridging the distance.

“Kit,” Rex had said, sounding fragile in a way Kit had never heard before. “I...”

Kit had been alarmed. “What’s wrong? Was someone hurt?” Terrible fears started to roll through his head of what could have happened.

“No, just... Kit, you’ve gotta see this.” The comm image turned and Kit saw Bacara, just as beautifully overwhelmed as Rex was. “Kit, look.”

What he'd seen stole his breath. Huge Nautolan eyes set in such a tiny face, just a few dark-tipped lekku nubs visible on the crown of their head. He murmured a prayer in his native tongue.

They'd already built him a home, a life to tempt him to Concord Dawn. Now they'd built him a family. Every excuse he'd been making to hold himself apart from them folded like wet flimsi in the face of this precious new addition.

Kit vaguely recalled pouncing on Mace to explain why he needed to leave and didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt. There was a temple being built on Concord Dawn, now; there were no more excuses to be made. He'd emptied his quarters in record time and ran for his Delta-7. His astromech had been fussy about the plan to use a hyperspace transport ring rather than wait and use a transport service to the hyper point nearest to the Mandalore system. When he'd told Rex and Bacara, they'd put up a very similar fuss.

And then his dear, clever Rex got _that_ look on his face and started _planning._

Multiple hours had passed, they'd gone through the entire datapad twice, and still Rex had more questions. He’d set the comm on a table and had officially reached the point of multiple planning datapads and a few scraps of flimsi being scribbled on as he took notes. Kit occasionally caught sight of Bacara roaming in the background. He'd located formula, fed the baby, changed her, and most recently had dozed off with her curled up on his chest. Kit was entranced.

“What are you staring at- oh.” Rex’s own smile turned fond and soft. “I don’t think either of us are ever going to get to hold her,” he said wryly.

“We’ll have to coordinate our efforts,” Kit agreed. R6 chirped at him. “Already? Rex, there is a hyperlane point soon. R6 is demanding my full attention for this.” The droid blatted at him in censure and he laughed. “Take a break,” he suggested to Rex. “Have some dinner. And make certain Bacara doesn’t sleep like that for long, that angle looks uncomfortable.”

“Good idea.” Rex turned his fond look back to Kit. Kit’s breath caught at his expression. “We’ll talk more soon.”

Kit nodded and disconnected to focus on the upcoming hyper point. This close to Coruscant on the Corulag, they all had to be done manually, and there were a lot of them. It would be easier once he switched to the Hydian Way but that wasn’t for at least another day and a half. He sighed and settled on the task at hand.

~~~~~

Kit had decided to meditate between hyper points and was startled when his comm went off. It hadn’t been that long since he and Rex had talked. He answered, frowning at the comm’s change of locale. Kix had joined Rex and Bacara- now awake- at the kitchen table. More datapads were scattered around. Kit wondered how many of those were Rex’s and how many Kix had brought with him.

“Kit, Kix came to go over the baby’s medical history,” Rex said, and Kit did not like the edge of worry in Rex’s voice. “Do you have time?”

“Yes, the next hyper point isn’t for a few hours.” Kit glanced between the three vode, both of his partners looking tense and Kix was marginally more murderous than he’d seen since the war ended. “How bad is it?”

“Hondo brought her to Cody four days ago,” Kix answered, and launched into detail about what they knew about the baby’s health and injuries upon arrival. Kit was very glad the autopilot was on and R6 was paying attention to their navigation, because he felt ill. “Cody, Bore and Spite kept her a secret while she recovered- I only knew Hondo was there when they were taking him out of bacta. Bore filled me in at shift change when he relieved me today.”

“So no long-lasting injuries, but she’s malnourished?” Bacara asked, and the _hurt_ in his voice cut Kit clean through. “Tell me your plan to treat that.”

Kix answered all of Bacara and Rex’s questions, and Kit shouldn’t have been surprised at how _many_ they’d have. Rex was taking notes and somehow had additional datapads. Kit simply forced himself to continue to breathe evenly, remain focused, and get through this conversation without breaking down.

“...Kit?” Bacara asked softly, and Kit struggled to meet his gaze. “You know what was going to happen,” he realized. Bacara always could read him so well. Kit took a shaking breath and managed to drag his eyes up, wincing at the hurt he saw echoed in his partner’s expressions.

“Yes,” he agreed. “But do not ask me to tell you what it was. Please.” Kit couldn’t decide if Rex and Bacara agreeing to that hurt more or less than if they had demanded answers. Kix was eyeing him carefully, clearly wanting to know, but Kit shook his head. “She is safe and whole and healthy,” he said, voice steadying as he continued talking. “And so very, very loved. Can we focus on that?” He hoped he’d only imagined his voice cracking at the end.

“Of course,” Rex assured him. “We should all get some rest, it’s late. Thank you for coming, Kix.” He stood to see his medic out, and Bacara leaned closer to the comm.

“I’m sorry that you know,” he said quietly. _Sorry for the pain knowledge wrought._ “But she’s here now, with us. With you, soon.” _Safe from what could have been._

“Yes.” Kit nodded gratefully for his lover’s understanding. “Make Rex actually get some sleep. Hide the datapads if you have to. Maybe allow him to hold the baby, if you’re feeling generous.”

Bacara laughed. “I make no promises. Fly safely and don’t make stupid Jedi decisions.”

Kit found his balance enough to smile cheekily at him and wink before ending the call.  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four days in a Delta-7 Aethersprite was not one of Kit's better ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Wander and Shira for the beta, and Tessa for naming the baby. :)

  
The next four days… Kit had been through battles less grueling. He attempted to meditate between hyper points. Attempted.

8:43 PM, day one

"Kit. The datapad said she's better off sleeping in water. You said something about salinity. Is it _supposed_ to be seawater? Rex swears you did but Kix said she needs fresh for now and gradually changed. He's trying to just use ocean water, Kit. Tell him he's wrong."

"He isn't _wrong_ \- don't glare at me like that, Bacara, I'm not done- but she does have to be acclimated to it."

"I _told_ you! She's not ready-"

The comm disconnected.

2:06 AM, day two

The comm began with otherworldly screeching nearing an octave Kit wasn’t sure he should be able to hear.

"-we can handle this you don't have to wake up Kit-"

"What's wrong?" Kit asked. "I wasn't sleeping."

"You should be," Bacara scolded. The wailing was louder and Kit could see flailing limbs. Bacara was blurred with movement as he bounced in place in an attempt to soothe. "Nothing's _wrong,_ I checked everything, this crying is different-"

"The water's too cold," Kit said after a moment of consideration. "She's cold."

"How did you know?"

Kit gave Bacara the most encouraging smile he could. "Because you checked for all the human problems already," he said gently.

Rex started swearing in the background. Bacara looked offended. "Language!"

"Oh little gods you sound like _Ponds_ , she's not old enough to-"

Bacara disconnected. Kit hoped his boyfriends would still be married by the time he got there. Or simply _alive_.

5:32 AM, day two

"Look, I just found him like this,” Rex whispered, creeping up on Bacara, who was stretched out across the couch with the baby on his chest again. Both were sound asleep. Kit melted a little at the sight.

“Has he even let you hold her yet?” Kit teased, pitching his voice low.

“Twice, for maybe ten minutes.” Rex sounded fond. “She was up every half-hour, he’s exhausted.”

“Yes, I am, stop being so loud,” Bacara grumbled, throwing an arm across his eyes. “Either let me sleep or make some caf.”

“Yes, sir,” Rex said cheekily. Bacara groaned as Rex disconnected.

7:48 AM, day two

Rex was holding the baby, this time. She was still asleep. "I convinced him to go back to bed," he said, mostly looking at her. Kit couldn't blame him. "He spent most of the night pacing the sitting room with her so I actually got some sleep. I'm a little worried about him, to be honest."

“This is all very new,” Kit soothed. “For all of us. None of us were expecting to take this step so soon and certainly not like this. Maybe have him check in with his mind healer, if you’re concerned. That is their job, not yours.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.” Rex adjusted his grip on the baby so Kit could see her better. They spoke of ideas for names, of the dreams Rex and Bacara had shared with one another before Rex’s ori’vod decided to meddle. Kit had only been aware of a handful of them and the realization hurt far more than he’d anticipated.

Why had he been so willing to only stand back and watch? To hold himself apart? Half the Jedi on Concord Dawn were married and still balanced in the Force. Stronger for it, even.

“You two have been more patient with me than I ever deserved,” Kit mused. “And far too willing to accept the barest slivers of me, accept my excuses. It’s unconscionable.”

”Stop that.” Bacara stepped into range of the recorder, a cup of caf in his hands. “We will never ask for more than you want to give,” he said. His tone commanded there be no objection. “Whatever that is, Kit.” He paused, taking a sip of his caf. “Though for the baby’s sake, I do need to know what you’re willing to commit to now. We can’t raise a Nautolan alone.”

“You have me for that,” Kit promised. “You’ve had me since I saw her, saw both of you with her. The rest… I’m not certain, yet.”

“That’s all we need to know right now,” Rex assured him, and Bacara nodded in agreement. The baby made a noise of complaint, starting to squirm and fuss. Bacara chugged what was left of his caf, stood and easily stole the baby from Rex’s grasp, walking away without a word. Rex sighed and rolled his eyes before hopping up and following. “Bacara let me _help_ she’s my baby too.” Kit smiled as the two debated what the problem was and disconnected the comm, letting himself sink into meditation again.

How much _did_ he want to give?

1:17 PM, day two

This time, Kit commed them. He’d managed a few snatches of sleep and had taken a break at the last hyper point, and space was so _quiet_ , traveling alone. He left the connection open for hours, soaking in their presence and the chaos of their new addition, until R6 demanded he pay attention as they approached yet another hyper point.

Flying the Corulag in a small craft was the _worst._ Larger ships could chart a path right through the whole thing, no problem, but a single-pilot ship like his Delta-7 was expected to _stop_ and recalculate _just in case._ Kit had some truly un-Jedi thoughts about exactly where the powers-that-be could put _that_ decision.

7:23 PM, day two

"So." Mace Windu, head of the Jedi Order, steepled his fingers and looked severely at Kit. "Tell me about this baby."

Kit _beamed_ like the sun. "She's perfect, Mace."

Mace looked amused. "They usually are. Go on."

2:05 AM, day three

Otherworldly screaming again, though somewhere in the background. Somehow the distance made it more eerie.

"Kit, I'm out of ideas, the water's heated to the right temperature and she's still screaming. She’ll be fine for ten, twenty minutes, and then she starts shrieking again," Bacara said in a rush. He looked guilty for leaving the baby with Rex to frantically comm Kit.

"You're a walking furnace, Bacara, and you and Rex have barely put her down for two days. It might still be too cold." Kit bit back a yawn. "As long as she's hydrated, it won't hurt her to stay out of water. I'll figure out something when I get there but for now just do what you must to get some sleep."

The bedroom door opened and the squalling grew closer. "I'll stay up with her," Rex said, holding the baby close and looking ragged. "Please, Bacara, you barely slept last night." He kissed Bacara softly. "I've got this."

Bacara sighed and nodded. "I'll try," he agreed, giving the baby a wry look.

"You've slept through worse," Kit teased fondly. "Goodnight, Bacara." He waited until Bacara was out of visual range. “Has it been like this all night?”

The crying was starting to slow down a bit, and the sounds shifted back into a more human range, but she clearly still wasn’t having it. “Yep.” Rex sighed. “Probably not going to stop, either. You should get some sleep, too. No sense in all of us being up.”

“Sensible,” Kit agreed, though he had no plans to sleep yet. “Goodnight, Rex. And the little one.” Kit ended the call, but he still had two hyper points left before he made it to the Hydian Way. Thinking about it, he decided to reach out to someone who might have more information.

Master Healer Che looked unimpressed when she answered.

“So _this_ is what it takes to hear from one of you willingly.”

“Master Che,” Kit said politely. “I have some questions about infant Nautolans…”

“One of the vode medics, Kix, called two days ago to see what information I had on Nautolan physiology,” Vokara replied, looking smug. “Told me all about the baby. Had pictures, even. I sent him what I had, along with some contacts on Glee Anselm. He also spoke with Jocasta, and the crechemasters.”

“Oh.” That sounded like Kix. Kit winced internally. “Somehow I sense I might be in trouble.”

“I had to find out you’re becoming a parent from a medic, Kit,” Vokara complained. “And then you call at two in the morning, and look like you haven’t slept in days. Yes, you’re in trouble.”

8:49 AM, day three

“Did you actually get any sleep, Bacara?”

“Sort of.” Bacara shrugged, sipping his caf. The baby was awake and watching with wide eyes, waving her arms around a bit and trying to grab things. She managed to tangle her fingers in Bacara’s beard and he winced, setting down his mug to gently loosen her grip. “Rex stayed in the sitting room with her all night but this child is loud when she wants to be. And of course she’s quiet all day,” he grumbled.

“Naturally.” Kit smiled, content to watch. “I’m finally on the Hydian Way so I don’t have to drop out of hyperspace again until I hit the hyper point nearest the Mandalore system.”

“That’s another day and a half, at least,” Bacara pointed out. “Kit, you have to stop occasionally.”

“And I have been,” Kit assured him. “But now I’ll be able to sleep for more than an hour at a time.”

“Never thought I’d be jealous of someone crammed in a one-man ship,” Bacara teased. “But that sounds _amazing_.”

“I’m much more interested in being there, with my family.”

Bacara’s head shot up, eyes widening at his phrasing. “Yes,” he agreed. “We’re looking forward to it.”

4:27 PM, day three

Kit startled awake as the comm chimed, banging his knee on the console and wincing. He answered the comm, expecting an emergency again.

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan greeted. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Congratulations, you did just that,” Kit grumbled, sitting up as best he could and rubbing at his eyes. “What is it?”

“Mace just sent over an approval of your transfer to the Concord Dawn temple. I didn’t realize you were moving here.”

Kit blinked a few times at him, trying to parse that. “Your husband is the one who hand-delivered a baby to my partners.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re surprised I’m moving there?”

“Well, it’s been years, Kit.” Obi-Wan shrugged. “I had supposed you were happy with how things were, and now I hear that you tackled Mace into the temple lift to show him the baby, emptied your quarters of belongings, and disappeared, and I must admit I was a bit surprised.”

Someone giggled in the background and was shushed by someone else. Kit’s eyes narrowed.

“Who all is there with you?”

“Oh, Aayla’s here.” The Twi’lek leaned into range of the recorder, wiggling her fingers in hello.

“Who else? I heard more than one voice.”

“Oh, it’s only us, it’s just noisy in the hallway,” Aayla agreed quickly, a shade too casually. “So inquiring minds need to know, Kit.”

“Know what? Yes, I’m moving to Concord Dawn. Obi-Wan’s got the transfer information. I’m surprised Mace processed it that quickly, ever since Ponds left-” He paused, and everything slotted into place. “Bly and Cody and Wolffe are there,” he said. “And I’m assuming one of them has Ponds on comms.”

“I told you this wouldn’t karking work,” someone complained.

“I’m going back to sleep,” Kit said with a groan, and disconnected.

1:26 AM, day four

“Little one, you really need to let your buire sleep,” Kit chided as the baby fussed, though it was much less than the screaming of the previous two nights.

Bacara chuckled softly. “So far we’ve been taking turns,” he said. “With a rotation of three we might survive this experience.”

“I’m nearly to the last hyper point now. I’ll take a break when I get there, and then set in for Concord Dawn, and should be there by this evening.”

“I still think making it in four days was a stupid idea.”

“I know.” Kit smiled fondly at him. “Rex and I talked about name ideas yesterday, but I haven’t had a chance to ask you.”

3:48 PM, day four

Kit had commed them hours ago, unable to sleep or meditate any longer as he went quietly mad in the cramped ship. He didn’t mind just watching them go about their day, occasionally chatting with him. It made him feel less alone in the vastness of space. He’d been nearly dozing when he had an idea.

“Oh! What about Shel’ya for a name? It’s a bit common, but I think it’s pretty.”

“Common on Glee Anselm, maybe.” Rex looked at the baby in his arms. “I like it. Bacara?”

“Shel’ya.” Bacara tried it out, and smiled. “It’s perfect.”

10:13 PM, day four

Kit was inordinately grateful he’d asked for additional space to be added to the small landing pad at Rex and Bacara’s for his Delta-7 because there was no way he’d be able to find his way home from the spaceport right now. He’d left the hyperspace transport ring in orbit and R6 brought them in.

Kit less than gracefully disembarked from his ship, stiff and uncomfortable from the trip. He staggered up to the house, exhaustion lapping at his heels, full of a profound sense of relief. Rex and Bacara both were waiting for him, though Shel’ya was nowhere to be found. Kit hugged both tightly but quickly pulled away, needing to see the baby too.

“Where’s Shel’ya?”

“Bacara discovered that the tub stays quite a bit warmer,” Rex said, giving Bacara a fond look shading towards proud. “She’s been asleep for two hours.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.” Kit made a beeline for the master 'fresher, freezing in the doorway when he saw her. He quickly stripped off his tunics, until he was only in his swim trunks, before kneeling by the tub and gently, impossibly gently, scooping her up to hold her close. Shel’ya made a soft noise of protest, but didn’t wake, simply curling into a smaller ball in his arms. “She’s beautiful,” Kit whispered. He looked up at Rex and Bacara, unable to voice how _right_ everything felt in this moment. “I told you she was worth rushing for.”

“She is,” Bacara agreed. “But you look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I am.” Kit sat down on the edge of the tub before he fell over, the room spinning more than a little. “Just… I'm gonna lie down.”

“Wait, Kit, your boots-” Rex tried, but Kit had already laid down in the tub, Shel’ya held tight against his chest. One boot was fully submerged with the rest of him, while his other was hanging over the edge, the tub not quite large enough to accommodate all of him.

“Just leave him,” Bacara suggested, herding Rex back out to their bedroom. “If he has Shel’ya, all three of us might get some sleep tonight.”

“That… that is an even better idea than the tub was.”

“Thank you, I try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> ori'vod: older brother  
> buire: parents
> 
> Tessa named Shel'ya waaay back in the comments of chapter 1. Shel'ya means 'of the sea' in Hebrew. Thanks so much for the perfect name!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody has no control of the chat system. He has even less control over the other Shebse. Ponds is completely fine with maliciously exploiting these facts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Wander and Shira for their continued gratuitous enabling and betaing. :)

  
Ponds huffed indignantly at Cody’s terse non-answers. Of course he’d leave Rex and Bacara alone, he wasn’t a _monster_. He just wanted to know more about this step they were taking!

_Ponds:  
  
Cody, please give me **something.**  
  
Cody:  
  
I already told you to wait.  
  
Ponds:  
  
You and I both know that has never stopped me before. Mace said he thinks he saw a Nautolani baby but it was too fast for him to be sure. Give me something to go on.  
  
Cody:  
  
Fine. Yes, the baby’s a Nautolan. Kit’s on his way here. You know that’s a five, six day flight, and they’ve got to decide if they’re going to keep her._

Ponds took a deep breath and set his comm down, needing to think. Ok, Mace was right, which explained Kit’s response. A Nautolan. If he was remembering right, there were enough species differences that two humans wouldn’t be able to fully communicate with her. Until now Ponds hadn’t even realized that a Nautolani baby could be out of the water enough to be raised by humans! To be able to do her justice, their Jedi boyfriend would need to commit to at least living with them on Concord Dawn, which was a _huge_ change.

Intellectually, he understood why Cody was stonewalling his efforts to talk to them. This was dramatically more involved than a simple adoption.

However, Ponds needed to support his Rex’ika somehow. There were _so many things_ they would need to raise a Nautolan right. And changes to their house! Who was in a better position to do something about that than him?

“Fox!” Ponds was pretty sure his boyfriend was somewhere in the apartment; he’d heard some colorful swearing not that long ago.

“What?” Fox sounded deeply annoyed. Oh, that’s right, Gree had dropped off pictures and a floor plan of an upcoming hopeful for “You’re Foxed” earlier this morning. “I’m not helping you dig up dirt on your vod’ika’s baby, I’m working.”

“I don’t need dirt, I need help remodeling their house!”

“...what.”

Ponds laughed and headed for Fox’s home office, where his boyfriend had pictures spread across his desk. Oooh, this one had some extremely ill-advised additions. And was that _carpet_ in the kitchen and bathroom? Gross. “The baby’s Nautolan. They _need_ some serious work done to their house to integrate swimming space for her!”

Fox eyed him warily. “Cody told you to leave them alone,” he reminded him, tapping his comm. That message had been on the CC chat; of course Fox had seen the… discussion.

“I don’t need to be there to redesign their house,” Ponds replied primly. He perched on one corner of Fox’s desk. “Just think: a reno done correctly from the start.”

“One, that doesn’t follow the show format, and two, they’ll never let it be on the show even if it was. I don’t think our dear Vod’alor would even let my camera crew anywhere near the planet.”

“Of course not, but this is for my Rex’ika. What about for the satisfaction of a job well done?”

Fox grunted and looked back down at his picture spread. “Doesn’t pay the bills and you know it.”

“Fooooxxx,” Ponds whined. Fox sighed and rubbed at his forehead.

“Fine, get me the floor plans and I’ll see what I can come up with.”

Ponds dropped a kiss onto the crown of Fox’s head. “You’re the best.” Fox grumbled something uncomplimentary as Ponds bounded out of his office. He needed to get those floor plans, and see what the other Shebse had in mind.

~~~~~

As Cody was a dead end and he hadn’t gotten anywhere comming either of his planetside brothers, Ponds set up a command chat discussion room with Bly and Wolffe instead. He added Neyo as well; this wasn’t just about Rex, after all. It was about the new baby. Ponds knew Neyo and Bacara were close, so Neyo might want to be involved.

_Ponds:  
  
Since nobody will be kind enough to pick up their comms you have left me no choice. We have work to do.  
  
Wolffe:   
  
You’re putting an awful lot of work into pissing off Cody.  
  
Ponds:   
  
You don’t understand. It’s not just that Rex’ika and Bacara might adopt a baby. The baby’s **Nautolan.**_

There was silence as everyone parsed that.

_Bly:  
  
How do you know that?  
  
Ponds:   
  
Rex commed Kit immediately and Kit showed Mace and took off, then Mace commed me to see what was going on and **I didn’t know** and that is a **problem.** I finally got Cody to confirm the baby’s Nautolan.  
  
Bly:  
  
How? Where did it come from?  
  
Wolffe:   
  
…Ohnaka?  
  
Ponds:  
  
Unconfirmed.  
  
Neyo:  
  
...What is this?  
  
Ponds:   
  
As we’re not allowed to bother Rex or Bacara right now and Cody’s not answering questions, we have to use… ulterior methods. I thought you’d want to be involved, for Bacara.  
  
Neyo:   
  
Ulterior methods for what?  
  
Bly:   
  
I’m going to second that question.  
  
Ponds:   
  
Well if they’re raising a semi-aquatic, amphibious child, they’ll need some significant changes made to their house. Once I get my hands on the floor plans of their house, Fox is going to do the redesign to incorporate aquatic living areas.  
  
Bly:   
  
Ponds. Cody said to leave them alone.  
  
Neyo:   
  
But if we don't go to the house....  
  
Wolffe:   
  
Rex is probably making plans already.  
  
Ponds:   
  
Fox’s designs will be better **and** he has a construction crew with a turnaround of less than a tenday. We need to focus on the exterior. We need to make the sea safe, and somewhere for the baby to learn how to swim. Like tide pools!  
  
Bly:   
  
That's...actually a very legitimate concern._

Ponds beamed. _Finally,_ he had their attention. He sent a few dozen images of natural tide pools that had been modified for various purposes, some with only small changes to make the surrounding rock less sharp, while others had turned large swaths of rocky shore into a naturally-filtered swimming pool with solid rock walls to protect swimmers from predators.

_Ponds:  
  
So here are some ideas. Honestly we really should make some of those larger pools regardless, it’s so much safer than letting the Littles out into the surf.  
  
Neyo:  
  
...How long have you known about this to already have that much research material?  
  
Bly:  
  
Trust me, this is just how he is, Neyo.  
  
Wolffe:  
  
Hardcase has been vibrating in place since Cody told Torrent and Nova command about the baby. Digging holes in rocks without explosives might keep the karking idiot out of trouble.  
  
Ponds:  
  
Torrent command knows? Excellent! I’m going to comm Kix, he’ll know more about what the baby will need. Also Jesse can probably get me the floor plans.  
  
Bly:   
  
Ponds.  
  
Ponds:   
  
What?  
  
Bly:  
  
You cannot renovate someone’s home without their consent.  
  
Ponds:  
  
Designing a renovation and being ready to start right away will in no way bother Rex and Bacara. Nobody will show up uninvited.  
  
Wolffe:  
  
All about the letter of the law and not the spirit, as per karking usual.  
  
Ponds:  
  
Like you’re one to talk.  
  
Neyo:  
  
So the point of this is… you’re trying to get more information about the baby, and be helpful ori’vode, without Cody’s permission, or Rex and Bacara’s knowledge?  
  
Ponds:  
  
We raised Rex’ika, he definitely **knows** we’re going to do **something**.  
  
Bly:  
  
Cody knows we’re going to work around him, too.  
  
Neyo:  
  
…Okay, I’m in.  
  
Ponds:  
  
Perfect! Bly, you need to handle the Jedi angle.  
  
Bly:  
  
What Jedi angle?  
  
Ponds:  
  
Did I forget to mention that the baby is Nautolan? And Kit took off from the Coruscant Temple immediately after showing a picture of said baby to Mace?  
  
Bly:  
  
wait what  
  
Wolffe:  
  
Bly you need to handle this.  
  
Bly:  
  
I’ll do what I can but Aayla’s probably going to have to ask Obi-Wan, and that’ll get straight back to Cody.  
  
Neyo:  
  
But Cody never said we couldn’t bother **Kit.**  
  
Ponds:  
  
We’re keeping you._

__

__

~~~~~

“This isn’t going to karking work,” Wolffe grumbled at Ponds across the comm. Ponds rolled his eyes.

“It will work, if Bly and Aayla stop making so much noise." he tried to pitch his voice loudly enough to interrupt them but it was hard over comms. He was not successful. He sighed and looked at the transfer documents Mace had signed. "Whoever's doing my old job is terrible at it," he announced dramatically.

"Ponds, you've said that seven times.” Neyo was no longer enthusiastic about this plan for all he’d been interested in eavesdropping earlier.

“And it’s still true! This form's a mess, I can’t even imagine what they’ve done to my filing system…”

“Focus,” Wolffe said. Bly squawked indignantly and Ponds assumed Wolffe had kicked him. “Quiet, he’s sending the comm.” The assorted vode went silent, watching Obi-Wan acting nonchalant and casual. Ponds hoped Kit didn’t know Obi-Wan well enough to know he was a shambling disaster of a man at the best of times (though Cody swore he’d been improving.)

Kit answered, his holo bleary-eyed and confused. "Hello?"

“Hello there,” Obi-Wan greeted. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Congratulations, you did just that,” Kit grumbled. Ponds bit his lip to keep from laughing. The Jedi looked so _annoyed_. “What is it?”

“Mace just sent over an approval of your transfer to the Concord Dawn temple. I didn’t realize you were moving here.” Obi-Wan was managing to come across as 'innocently curious' well enough that Ponds was impressed.

Kit blinked a few times. “Your husband is the one who hand-delivered a baby to my partners,” he said flatly.

“Yes.”

“And you’re surprised I’m moving there?”

“Well, it’s been years, Kit.” Obi-Wan shrugged. “I had supposed you were happy with how things were, and now I hear that you tackled Mace into the temple lift to show him the baby, emptied your quarters of belongings, and disappeared, and I must admit I was a bit surprised.”

Bly lost it. Every single time that tackle had been mentioned, he'd cracked up, and this wasn't any different. Aayla shushed him and Ponds saw him flinch. He assumed Wolffe had kicked him again. Kit’s eyes narrowed.

“Who all is there with you?” he asked suspiciously. Neyo and Wolffe facepalmed in unison.

“Oh, Aayla’s here.” Obi-Wan was struggling to hold his innocent act together. Aayla leaned into range of the recorder, wiggling her fingers in hello.

“Who else? I heard more than one voice.”

“Oh, it’s only us, it’s just noisy in the hallway,” Aayla agreed quickly. Ponds saw her throw a vicious elbow at Bly's ribs, outside the recording range of the comm. “So inquiring minds need to know, Kit.” She leaned forward, also projecting innocent curiosity.

“Know what? Yes, I’m moving to Concord Dawn. Obi-Wan’s got the transfer information. I’m surprised Mace processed it that quickly, ever since Ponds left-” He paused. Ponds knew he'd figured it out. “Bly and Cody and Wolffe are there,” Kit guessed. “And I’m assuming one of them has Ponds on comms.” Ponds had to give him credit for being mostly right.

“I told you this wouldn’t karking work,” Wolffe muttered.

“I’m going back to sleep,” Kit said with a groan, and disconnected.

"Bly!" Ponds scolded as soon as the comm ended.

“What? Wolffe, stop kicking me!”

“Children,” Aayla interrupted, smiling cheerfully. “We have our information. At least more than we had.”

Ponds nodded. He’s gotten the floor plans from Jesse days ago and handed them off to a still-grousing Fox, and so far, the redesign looked _amazing._ Kix had been able to answer Ponds’ questions about what the baby would need, and now he had confirmation that Kit would, at the very least, be moving in.

“Has Hardcase been able to find a decent place to start playing with that water drill?” Ponds asked. Given Wolffe’s lack of recent complaints about his overly-enthusiastic boyfriend, he hoped so.

“Yeah, it’s pretty far up the beach. I don’t think Rex and Bacara have even noticed. The Domino twins found a couple tide pools near the house but they’re not going any closer until Cody stops being such a pain in the shebs about it.”

“That’s wise,” Ponds agreed. “If Cody didn’t kill them, Rex probably would.” He paused, thinking. “Final order of business: I nominate Neyo for the shovel talk.”

“Seconded,” Bly agreed immediately. Wolffe cracked up.

“The what?” Neyo looked confused. Wolffe laughed even harder.

“You’ve never heard of a shovel talk? Oh, you’re going to be _perfect_ for this,” Ponds said gleefully. Kit knew the rest of them, but as far as Ponds knew, he’d never spent any time with either Neyo or Bacara’s units. “Kit won’t know what hit him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> ori'vode: older siblings  
> shebs: ass  
> Shebse: Asses/Assholes. Ponds' cadet squad name. (Soft Wars-specific)  
> Vode: sibling; in this case, the Clones as a people  
> vod'ika: younger sibling  
> Vod'alor: Clan head of the Vode. (Soft Wars-specific)
> 
> Neyo _has_ given a shovel talk before! [Just in Lockstep](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24269257) He just didn't know that's what it's called. Hopefully this one will go better than last time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hypervigilance is a bitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Projie for letting me borrow Daan for a second (and for serious what is WRONG with this show, we have two (2) canon medics, both in the 501st, let our poor clones in other battalions have medics dear god) and as always, thanks to Wander and Shira for the gratuitous enabling and betas!

Bacara startled awake for the second time in as many hours, alarmed by the continued quiet in their house. After three nights of nonstop crying, he found the silence unnerving. He was halfway out of bed to check on Shel’ya when Rex’s hand wrapped around his wrist.

“Shel’ya’s fine,” he said softly. “Kit has her, remember?”

Bacara nodded stiffly. He did remember. He just… still wanted to check. He forced himself to lie back down, instead focusing on his breathing and the ambient noises that had been so familiar, so comforting, until things had been upended four days ago. Rex shifted to curl closer, rubbing Bacara’s arm.

“’s probably some Nautolan thing,” Bacara mumbled. “Why she’s sleeping so well for him.”

“Probably,” Rex agreed, pressing a kiss against Bacara’s shoulder. “We’ll hear her if she cries.”

Bacara was still struggling to breathe. “Gonna check,” he decided, unable to just lie there and let his thoughts spiral. Rex nodded and acquiesced, waiting patiently while Bacara confirmed that Shel’ya was fine, still fast asleep, cuddled up with Kit. Rex curled up with him again when he returned to bed, holding him like he would on one of his bad nights.

But Bacara wasn’t having one of those.

That he woke every half-hour afterwards with the same panicked urgency didn’t mean he was having a bad night.

Somewhere around four AM Rex opted to go sleep on the couch. Bacara had been tempted to offer to go, but he’d still have to walk through their bedroom to check on Shel’ya, so it made rational sense for Rex to leave.

Another half-hour, another jolt from half-sleep to prickly awareness. He’d managed to talk himself out of checking the last two times but the compulsion was too strong to ignore now. Bacara softly padded into the ‘fresher, feeling ridiculous as he saw that Shel’ya was still fine, sleeping soundly. He glanced at his lover and realized that Kit was awake, silently watching. Bacara, already twitchy, nearly jumped out of his skin.

Kit carefully sat up, shifting his hold on Shel’ya so as not to wake her. “Bacara,” he said softly, concern shading his words. “This is the fourth time you’ve checked on her tonight and I can _feel_ your anxiety. What is wrong?”

“I can’t…” Bacara pressed his back to the wall and let himself slide to the ground, leaning against the tub. He was so tired. “I don’t know.”

“Has it been like this every night?”

“The night Rex stayed up with her, yes. I stayed up with her the other two.” Bacara sighed, slumping further over. “I _want_ to sleep. I just… I’m afraid something will happen if I do. That this was just a dream or someone changes their mind and she’ll just be gone and then I won’t have a part of you I get to keep or…” He blinked, realizing he was babbling, and that Kit was staring. Bacara ducked his head, not able to look at Kit anymore. “Sorry, I’m… I’m really tired.”

“Yes, that I can see.” Kit carefully stood and climbed out of the tub, setting Shel’ya back into the water and going in search of a towel. Bacara rested his forehead against the cool porcelain and struggled to control his breathing, jerking away when Kit returned and stroked a gentle hand down his arm. Kit slowly took his hand, guiding him back to his feet and into the bedroom.

“I know you can’t sleep with us and there’s no point in me trying anymore tonight, it’s not working,” Bacara said, the words tasting bitter as he said them.

“Can I lay down with you, just to hold you?” Kit asked so, so gently. “Perhaps not to sleep, but to rest?”

Bacara considered it, and nodded. It felt strange to stretch out next to Kit, who, for all he was tactile, generally did not lay down with them, or not for long if he did. But Kit gathered him close, running cool hands down his arms, across his back. The panic slowly receded and Bacara found it easier to breathe. He burrowed into Kit’s arms, not expecting this closeness to last so he wanted to savor it while he had it, and finally, blessedly, found sleep.

~~~~~

Awareness came slowly. Rather than the cool touch he’d fallen asleep to, there was a warm hand idly carding through his hair, a soft heartbeat below his ear. Bacara gradually pulled himself from sleep and managed to crack an eye open. “...’sthat you, Rex?” he asked sluggishly. He hadn’t felt this out of it since the last time Daan managed to slip him the really strong painkillers.

“Mmhmm,” Rex replied, his voice a soothing rumble. Bacara was loath to move.

"Shel'ya? Kit?"

"Last I checked, they were on the beach. He wants to start introducing her to the salt water. But he didn't want you to wake up alone. I've never been kicked off the couch and back into bed before, I don't think." Rex sounded amused.

"What time is it…?" Now he was even more confused. It was far brighter in their room than he expected.

"Later than we usually sleep, but you needed it." Rex yawned. “So did I, honestly.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Bacara mumbled.

“It’s alright, we all have our bad nights.”

“I wasn’t having a-” Bacara’s protest died on his lips at the weaponized nonplussed look Rex favored him with. “Alright, I guess it was a bad night.” Rex poked him. “...Several nights.”

“Yeah. I’ve been worried for days.” Rex shifted, stretching out beside him, and pressing into Keldabe. "I love you, and I'm worried. I _want_ this, want a family, but _not_ at your expense."

Bacara took a ragged breath. He _had_ been struggling, these past few days. "I'm…" He wasn't sure how to articulate all the fears spiraling out of control in his head. Last night's rambling confession to Kit hit him with startling clarity. “I… might have said something really stupid to Kit,” Bacara said with slowly-dawning horror. “About what I'm afraid of."

"He didn't say anything this morning," Rex assured him. "So it's nothing a conversation can't fix."

Bacara nodded, breathing more easily around the knot of anxiety in his chest, and pressed closer, turning Keldabe into the kind of kiss _he_ preferred, with heat and a flash of teeth.

"Why Bacara," Rex teased once they came back up for air, eyes a little wild and lips kiss-swollen, "Are you trying to seduce me?"

"If it's working? Yes."

An alarm going off from the side table silenced any response Rex had and he groaned, reluctantly leaving Bacara's arms to silence it. "We both have appointments," he announced tiredly. "I forgot I scheduled them."

"For what? You didn't tell me about anything."

"A check-in with our respective mind healers," Rex said, voice gentling. "Since this is… well, a lot, all at once. And I think you were napping when I scheduled them and then I got distracted."

"...Fair," Bacara allowed. "Still. Horrible timing."

"Well, Kit's here now, maybe once Shel'ya goes to sleep tonight…" Rex trailed off suggestively.

Bacara sighed, getting up. “After a full day of being responsible adults with a new baby? Aren’t you confident.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mind healer = therapist.
> 
> This is _Soft Wars_ fanfic. There is no way everyone's NOT in therapy; there are a LOT of things to work through, and we believe in Healthy Adult Communication in these parts.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit: _panics in attachment_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my general rampant enablers and betas, Wander and Shira!

Kit initially was blessedly asleep, but after a few hours, Bacara’s increasing panic started to grate at the edges of his mind. He was continually waking up, to the point where Rex had gone to sleep on the couch, and it was only getting worse. Kit had been humoring him and remaining still the first three times he came in to check on Shel’ya, understanding the compulsion, but he was becoming very worried. The fourth time, he intercepted him, gently encouraging Shel’ya to stay asleep while he spoke with his lover.

“This is the fourth time you’ve checked on her tonight and I can _feel_ your anxiety. What is wrong?”

“I can’t…” Bacara pressed his back to the wall and let himself slide to the ground, leaning against the tub. “I don’t know.” He looked exhausted and felt absolutely _ragged_ in the Force.

“Has it been like this every night?”

“The night Rex stayed up with her, yes. I stayed up with her the other two.” Bacara sighed, slumping further over. “I _want_ to sleep. I just… I’m afraid something will happen if I do. That this was just a dream or someone changes their mind and she’ll just be gone and then I won’t have a part of you I get to keep or…” He blinked in shocked realization and shut up. Kit struggled not to stare at the admission. Bacara ducked his head, refusing to look at Kit anymore. “Sorry, I’m… I’m really tired.”

“Yes, that I can see.” Kit carefully stood and climbed out of the tub, setting Shel’ya back into the water and going in search of a towel. He could hear Bacara struggling to control his breathing. Kit finished drying off and stroked a gentle hand down Bacara’s arm. Bacara startled and nearly pulled away from his touch but allowed Kit to slowly take his hand, guide him back to his feet and into the bedroom.

“I know you can’t sleep with us and there’s no point in me trying anymore tonight, it’s not working,” Bacara said. He sounded bitter and something in Kit’s chest panged in sympathy. He’d given them so little of himself and it was so unfair.

“Can I lay down with you, just to hold you?” Kit asked so, so gently. He wanted so badly to comfort him. “Perhaps not to sleep, but to rest?” Bacara nodded and Kit settled them both, holding Bacara close and running gentle hands down his back. He was relieved when Bacara pressed into his embrace, slowly relaxed and fell asleep. Kit reached out, smoothing down some of the edges of Bacara’s presence in the Force. He knew Bacara saw a mind healer and would encourage him to check in tomorrow; Bacara hadn’t felt this unbalanced since they’d first met.

_...Then I won’t have a part of you I get to keep._ Kit pondered Bacara’s exhausted confession, keeping his touch soothing. Bacara had assured him they would never ask for more than he was willing to give, but Kit was getting the impression that Bacara had _hoped_ for more. He knew for a fact that Rex had wanted it nearly from the start; he loved so easily.

In a moment of clarity, Kit realized that he would have left the Order for these two men, had they asked; they never would have asked, out of respect for his commitment to the Order.

...He was an idiot.

He held Bacara for hours, dozing a little, until he could feel the bright star in the Force that was Shel’ya begin to stir. He carefully untangled himself from Bacara and went to retrieve their daughter before she started to cry and woke anyone up. Bacara barely moved, which was a relief. Kit managed to slip out of the bedroom entirely before Shel’ya made a sound.

“Rex,” he called, hands full of a very squirmy baby girl who was ready to make her opinions on life in general well-known, “I could use some assistance, I don’t know where everything is.”

Rex groaned from the couch but dragged himself up and showed Kit where everything was stored, from the improvised changing table to the formula and bottles they’d been using. Kit insisted on doing everything himself- he needed to do this as well, after all. “Did you get any sleep?” Rex asked, leaning against the counter as Kit prepared a bottle, holding Shel’ya, who was Making Her Opinions Known about the sad state of her tummy in short, squeaky cries.

“At first, but then I could feel Bacara’s anxiety. I was able to get him to sleep for the last few hours, though. Would you go back to bed so he doesn’t wake up alone? I’d like to take Shel’ya down to the water, start acclimating her to it.” Kit was focused on correctly mixing the truly horrifying concoction of kelp and fish paste their daughter ate. The labels were in Nautila along with Basic, which meant that he had likely _also_ eaten this at some point. He was introducing her to real food as soon as he possibly could. Once Shel’ya was in a clean waterproof diaper and eagerly tucking in to her breakfast, Kit finally glanced up at Rex, who was watching him with the same slightly dopey, fond smile he’d been giving Bacara every time they’d spoken over the last four days. “...What?”

“I love you,” Rex said simply, stealing a quick kiss before heading for the bedroom. “And this is _such_ a hardship, going back to bed with my handsome husband while our handsome boyfriend takes our adorable daughter to the beach. I don’t know how I’ll forgive you,” he added loftily. Kit laughed, amusement curling through him. Tired as he was, as they all were, they were still themselves and would figure things out. He shoved the blankets and pillow Rex had been using towards the middle of the couch and sat, watching Shel’ya eat. She was extremely enthusiastic about her breakfast, horrifying as its ingredients might be to Kit’s sensibilities.

She was beautiful, their daughter, skin a lovely shade of blue with darker blue and violet markings. He’d already checked last night but he found himself again counting the lekku-nubs on her head by feel. All fourteen were accounted for, shaded in a dark violet echoed in speckles here and there across her skin. The webbing between her fingers was still present halfway down; it would be a while before she outgrew that. Tickling her foot gave him a look at the delicate webbing between her toes. Kit had been particularly concerned about her gill slits when he’d learned of her injuries but all five were there and unscarred on both sides, closed tightly like they should be to protect the delicate membranes inside. Despite everything she’d been through, Shel’ya was healthy and whole. She was small, much smaller than Kit had expected, and far thinner than he’d like, but that would be cured with time.

“I have so much to teach you, little one,” Kit said fondly, voice catching. The Force seemed quite content with how things were but his own conscience was another matter entirely. _Interpreting_ the Code differently now was easy enough, but to _practice_ it differently, now there was the rub. Kit had been happy to see the changes and the happiness they brought others but he’d never once considered how it might affect himself. He’d been so _complacent_ before. Rex and Bacara deserved better. He would _give_ them better.

...Just as soon as he figured out what that was.

A comm chirped nearby. Kit glanced around, spotting it on the side table. He grabbed it and answered, unsure whose it was- his own was still with the rest of his tunics, strewn around on the bedroom floor, which he should probably do something about once Rex and Bacara got up. The hologram lit up to display Aayla, who wasn’t looking at the recorder, instead flipping through a stack of flimsi. “Hi Rex, when’s Kit getting in? We got disconnected before we got his ETA and Obi-Wan and I need to talk to him.”

“Hmm, I remember that conversation going differently,” Kit replied, amused. “If I recall, I hung up on you for being ridiculous.”

“Kit!” Shock was written across her face, along with just a tinge of embarrassment at being caught out in her half-truth. “You’re here already? Why do you have Rex’s comm?”

“I arrived late last night, and Rex’s comm was on the side table. What did you need to talk to me about?”

“Oh, Jedi stuff,” Aayla said dismissively, but her expression was full of mischief. “Stay put, I’m coming out to see you.”

“I’m going to be out on the beach by the time you arrive,” Kit said. “Rex and Bacara are _hopefully_ both still asleep and I’d like them to stay that way.”

Aayla nodded and closed the connection. Kit tossed the comm back where he’d found it and glanced down at Shel’ya, who was mostly just playing with her bottle and starting to get squirmy again. Kit beamed at her, catching a waving hand with a finger and letting her get a grip. He stood, returning the bottle to the kitchen and running through the checklist of Shel’ya’s needs before heading outside. It was still early, so Kit wasn’t too concerned with the sun yet; his glove-sleeves were still in the bedroom and he didn’t think they had anything for Shel’ya’s photosensitive skin yet. He’d just have to mind how long they were out. It was a nice day, and there were several tide pools near the house to explore. “Come, my little star, I have an ocean for you to meet.”

There was a commotion quite a way up the beach. Kit sighed, glancing at his daughter. “I am willing to bet those are Torrents,” he said conversationally. “But I think it wise to just ignore them, for now. Your buir might want to handle that personally.” _Kit_ definitely wanted Rex to handle it himself; he knew the feel of their amusement and mischief in the Force. Those were Rex’s maniacs, and they were far enough away from the house that he could feasibly ignore them.

Mind made up, Kit headed for the nearest tide pool. It was fairly shallow and warm, though the rocky lip was a bit sharper than Kit would like. That could be fixed, later. He easily hopped into the water, pleased that it was deep enough to reach his chest, giving him the perfect depth to hold Shel’ya.

Shel’ya _lit up_ in excitement when her toes hit the water and she shrieked in delight, splashing madly. Kit laughed, equally delighted.

“It is nice to play in, isn’t it?” he asked, shifting his hold on her so she could dip her hands in as well. A thorough splash and she soaked herself, spluttering and blinking in surprise. He checked to make sure she was okay; she’d not had salt water on her skin yet, at least since she’d arrived on Concord Dawn. Shel’ya was startled but didn’t cry or seem to be in any pain so Kit let her continue to splash to her heart’s content. Kit was falling more deeply in love with her by the moment, every happy cry melting him even further.

“Oh goddess she’s even cuter than I thought!” Kit looked up in surprise as Aayla walked up, having not even felt her approach in the Force. Of course, he _had_ been rather thoroughly distracted. “The holos haven’t done her any justice.”

“No, they don’t.” Kit lifted Shel’ya from the water, earning a whine, and waded to where Aayla was pulling off her boots and sitting down on the edge of the small tide pool, dipping her feet in. He obligingly knelt so he could hold Shel’ya at a good splashing height again. “This is the first time she’s been able to just _play_ in the water,” he explained, amused when Shel’ya’s enthusiastic splashing started to soak Aayla as well. The Twi’lek only laughed in delight.

“Oh, Kit, this is so wonderful for you,” Aayla said, her expression fond. “Bly and the others are dying to meet her.”

“I _knew_ you had ulterior motives,” Kit teased. “‘Jedi stuff’ indeed.”

“Yes, well. Obi-Wan will give me an alibi if I need one.” Aayla leaned back on her hands to get out of range of some of the splashing. “I did want to check on you. This is a huge change and you’d been so comfortable before. We could meditate, if you need to?”

“Once the little star is tired out, perhaps.” He felt discomfort at calling her _his_ in front of Aayla and frowned at that. “I am having to rethink my position on attachments much more thoroughly and I would appreciate your help.”

Aayla beamed. “Of course. Unless you’d rather talk with one of the other Jedi here?”

“No, I think you have the perspective I need, as you are married to a Shebse.” Kit smiled. Rex’s older brothers were all ridiculous. “I may ask Obi-Wan later, as well.”

Shel’ya was slowing down, more wiggling than splashing. A curious hand went to her mouth and she spluttered as a concentrated bit of saltwater hit her tongue, her happy trilling turning to distress. “Oh dear,” Kit murmured, lifting her upright and pulling her close, cuddling her close and bouncing her gently. “Not a fan of the taste? That’s alright. We can be done for now.” Shel’ya’s unhappy noises tapered off as she curled into Kit’s chest, hiding her face in the crook of Kit’s neck. Aayla made a soft noise and Kit shot her an amused look as he climbed out of the tide pool.

He headed for the house, letting Aayla scramble to keep up. He gestured to Aayla to wait while he went to check to see if Rex and Bacara were awake, not wanting to surprise them with a guest. Kit found them both getting dressed.

“Do you need to be up?” Kit wondered. “I have Shel’ya well in hand for the moment.”

“We have _appointments_ ,” Bacara replied gravely, shooting Rex a look Kit couldn’t quite decipher. Rex blushed, which was an intriguing response Kit would definitely ask about later. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Ahh. Aayla’s here,” he said. “To meditate. I think. I have the feeling it’s a hollow excuse to meet Shel’ya before anyone else does.”

Rex chuckled. “Cody’s said something to keep all my ori’vode away. Bly’s going to be furious.”

“If it keeps the Shebse out of here for a few more days, I approve,” Bacara replied, heading for the bedroom door. “Do we have time for caf?”

“Only instant,” Rex said, wincing at the glare Bacara leveled at him. “We can stop at that cafe you like on the way back, I promise.”

“We’d better.” Bacara huffed and left the room. Kit chuckled softly.

“You might want to make time to go to the cafe first,” he advised, amused at Rex’s disgruntled frown.

“He’ll live.”

“Yes, but will you?” Rex grumbled something unintelligible as he headed out of the room, absently waving at Aayla as he harried Bacara out of the house. Kit laughed. “I may not have two boyfriends later today, at the rate they’re going,” he said conversationally to Aayla. Shel’ya was starting to fuss, whining in discomfort. “Please, sit down,” he told his fellow Jedi as he headed to the improvised changing table. “Let me settle Shel’ya.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Aayla assured him. Kit changed Shel’ya and went to rinse her off in the ‘fresher, assuming the salt water now drying on her skin would be uncomfortable until she was used to it. Shel’ya relaxed once the freshwater met her skin.

“We’ll take our time with the seawater,” Kit assured her, gently rubbing salt from her skin. “It will not be so uncomfortable soon, I promise.” Shel’ya was soon splashing contentedly, discomfort forgotten. Kit left her in the water to find the wraps they’d been using, with a damp inner layer to prevent her skin from drying out and a dry outer layer, and with a few tries he managed to swaddle her. It had looked much easier when he’d watched Rex and Bacara do the same. Shel’ya beamed up at him, squirming a little but seemingly happy to just be held. “You are a joy, my bright star,” he said softly, cuddling her close. He steeled himself and returned to the sitting room and Aayla, whom he was sure was about to ask all kinds of pointed questions he didn’t know how to answer.

Aayla wasted no time. “All I know I learned third hand,” she said, sitting across from him and leaning in, _radiating_ delight. “And I’ve been patiently waiting for _days._ What happened?”

“Rex commed me, and showed me Bacara holding her,” Kit replied, rubbing Shel’ya’s back as she snuggled into a smaller ball, her presence in the Force growing drowsy. He gently encouraged that, thinking it might be easier to have this conversation if she was napping. “And… it was like the galaxy realigned itself all at once. I may or may not have tackled Mace into a lift to show him-” Aayla giggled at that- “and then packed everything and was on my way here before I took a moment to stop and think. Then I had four days to do nothing _but_ think. All the Code changes around attachment have been lovely for all of you here, but I never thought about myself. I was happy with my relationship with Rex and Bacara.” Kit looked away. “At least I thought I was. And… I hadn’t considered their feelings very well. Have I been leading them on this entire time? They said they’d never ask more of me than I was willing to give, but last night, Bacara said… that he was afraid we would change our minds about Shel’ya and he’d lose a part of me he got to keep.”

Aayla’s expression had turned increasingly more serious and concerned as he spoke. “I need alcohol for this conversation,” she decided once he finished, getting up and heading for the kitchen.

“Aayla, it’s only ten AM,” Kit protested.

“Yeah, but it’s midday on Florrum.” Aayla started opening cupboards. “Where do they hide the good stuff?”

“Third cabinet from the left, top shelf, behind a tin of cookies,” Kit replied. “Rex thinks he’s clever and forgets I’m taller than he is.” Aayla’s amusement washed over him. “There is one with Bacara’s name written on it, don’t touch that, it’s from Neyo and I, quite frankly, am afraid to ask.”

“Noted.” Aayla selected something else and came back with a bottle and two glasses, though Kit shook his head. She shrugged and poured herself some anyway. “Kit, attachment is not the same thing as love. Attachment is more… jealousy and possessiveness. But you know that, you’re on the Council. So you need to decide what you want, because it’s not the Code holding you back.”

“I know, that’s what I’ve spent the last four days trying to figure out.” Kit sighed in frustration. “Do I only want to fling myself headfirst at this because Shel’ya’s Nautolan, and I _watched_ them both fall in love with her? The look on Bacara’s face… he had _tears_ in his eyes. And I knew they wouldn’t be able to raise her alone, they need _me_ , Aayla, but it’s so _selfish_ of me to just… charge halfway across the galaxy and more fully into their lives without them even asking.”

“You just said they wouldn’t ask for more than you were willing to give,” Aayla pointed out. “Ask yourself this: were she human, and Rex had commed you and you saw them fall in love like that, would you still have rushed here in an extremely ill-advised _four days_?”

“Of course I would have, what kind of question is that? I love them, and-” Kit paused, blinking. “...Oh.”

Aayla saluted him with her cup. “Well then. There’s your answer, di’kut.” Kit shot her a nonplussed look. “If you want sympathy you’re talking to the wrong Jedi, you’ll want Obi-Wan for that. Though I think he would agree with me.” She downed her glass and made grabby hands at him. “Now. I have a husband to make jealous; hand her over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> buir: parent; father  
> di'kit: idiot  
> ori'vode: older siblings  
> Shebse: Asses/Assholes. Rex's cadet squad name. (Soft Wars-specific)
> 
> A wild Aayla appears! Shel'ya uses Splash! It's Super Effective!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At least Bacara managed to get caf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my general rampant enablers and betas, Wander and Shira!

With his preferred caf order in hand- sometimes, you just needed caf that was actually 78% chocolate and whipped cream by volume- and an extra caf and pastry for Kit, Bacara’s day had dramatically improved. He felt more centered after speaking with his mind healer and working through a lot of the worries he’d been plagued with. Rex seemed relieved as well.

At least, he had, until they’d gotten home and he’d seen that the collection of what could only be Torrents up the beach had at least doubled since they’d first noticed them this morning. There was a lot of the usual chaos, but underlined with the sounds of heavy machinery, which always spelled trouble with Rex’s boys.

Rex sighed. “I’d better go see what they’re up to.”

“Remember, _you_ handpicked _them_. I was there.” Bacara smirked at him. “Try to keep them on that end of the beach. I’d like to see how long Cody’s meddling lasts.”

“Probably not much longer, now that Kit’s here. I can’t believe we’re not up to our necks in well-meaning vode already.” Rex looked regretfully at his own cup, visibly mourning that it was mostly empty.

“I’ll start a fresh pot of caf,” Bacara offered, which seemed to help. Rex nodded and stalked off down the beach towards the inevitable headache being caused by his boys. Bacara juggled what he was carrying to gain entry to the house, and stopped dead in his tracks two steps in.

Two vode from the fab shop were standing in the sitting room, talking with an annoyed Kit. A third vod was taking measurements in the spare room. Kit’s comm was lit and it was unmistakably Ponds involved in the conversation. Bacara heard the word “renovation” and immediately ducked into the kitchen. Nope. He set down Kit’s caf and pastry and started a pot of caf for Rex as promised, and wondered how long it would take before someone noticed he was there. Some quiet part of him mourned not asking for sprinkles in his mostly chocolate and whipped cream caf; today seemed like a day for sprinkles. Also possibly alcohol.

Kit entered the kitchen, still on comms with Ponds. Bacara muttered “kot” and tapped his wrist. This was not how he’d envisioned his day going. “Bacara,” Kit greeted, visibly relaxing. “My apologies for the chaos. I realized what the problem was with Shel’ya not sleeping, so it’s being resolved.”

“Ah,” Bacara replied mildly, praying Ponds didn’t chime in with something he’d have to deal with.

“Bacara, I sent the designs to Kit, you and Rex can review them,” Ponds said, because of course he did.

“Designs for what?”

“Well I had Fox look over the floorplan of your house and he’s come up with a renovation that will incorporate lots of swimming areas for Shel’ya. Even a bedroom designed just for her.” Ponds looked far too pleased with himself and Bacara focused on his caf before he said something he might regret.

“We’re not going on that show,” he said firmly after taking a moment to pull his thoughts together. “Under no circumstances will we be humiliated like that.”

“Oh, no, no, it wouldn’t be recorded, this is completely different. This is helping out my family with modifying their home to meet their new baby’s needs. I’ve got access to the resources, that’s all.”

Damn him, that sounded _reasonable._ Bacara scowled into his cup. Kit helpfully set a datapad on the table in front of him with the aforementioned floor plan pulled up, and oh no, it was _worse,_ they were really _good_ and Fox was going to be smug for _years_. Bacara looked up and met two hopeful expressions, and he struggled to keep his disappointed glower. Kit was making it very, very hard. “We’re not deciding anything without Rex here,” he managed to grumble.

“Of course. But the crew’s between episodes right now, so it would be ideal to do it soon, before the network schedules another. At most it would take two tendays, to get the crew there, all the materials organized, and the reno itself finished, but I’m sure it’ll be less than that.” Ponds sounded so _earnest_ about it. As much as the Shebse drove him mad, Bacara couldn’t deny how much they loved Rex.

“Thank you, we’ll discuss it,” Kit said, and blessedly ended the comm. Bacara sighed in relief, though there were still the pressing matters of the fab shop vode in the sitting room and an entire karking herd of Torrents on the beach. “The fab shop is building a more appropriate place for Shel’ya to sleep,” Kit explained. “That… _aquarium_ -” Kit made a face as if the word itself had a foul aftertaste “-was completely unsuited; it’s no wonder she couldn’t sleep. It was much too small and the filter system was completely inefficient at keeping the water oxygenated.” He was starting to get worked up again, and took a moment to center himself. Bacara wordlessly slid the cup of caf he’d brought back towards Kit, who took it and rolled the cup between his hands as he thought. “I know the medics were trying, I am not angry, I am simply… extremely annoyed that I didn’t realize the problem sooner.”

“You just got here last night,” Bacara reminded him. “And you’ve solved the problem within twelve hours. Give yourself some credit, Kit.”

Kit shot him a blinding smile and strode forward, kissing him soundly. “Thank you for the reassurance,” he said warmly as he pulled away. Bacara could feel his face burning. “I’ll see the others out and we can talk.” That was the most suggestive use of the word ‘talk’ Bacara had ever heard and he was immediately interested. Especially as he realized Kit had never bothered to get dressed beyond his swim trunks. It was unfair and Bacara was okay with that.

“Rex is dealing with the Torrents on the beach and should be back soon,” Bacara called after him, feeling proud of himself for managing to say anything intelligent given exactly how much sway Kit put in his walk as he left the kitchen.

Bacara was truly having the strangest week of his life.

Shel’ya crying from somewhere else in the house quickly shelved the daydreaming and Bacara stood, following the sound to the ‘fresher, where Shel’ya had been napping in the tub. He quickly gathered her close, hushing her softly as he went to change and swaddle her again. He handed her to Kit to hold while he made her a bottle. Kit barely batted an eye as he accepted Shel’ya, gently bouncing her to try and soothe her. The fab shop vode all cooed over her a moment before promising to have the new crib finished by the end of the day and leaving, taking the much too small aquarium with them. Bacara returned with a bottle and reclaimed Shel’ya, much to Kit’s amusement. He sat in a corner of the couch and Shel’ya immediately fell quiet as she ate with gusto. Bacara couldn’t help but smile fondly as he watched.

“You are lovely with her,” Kit purred, settling down next to him. Bacara felt his face heating up again. Years they’d been with Kit, and he still had that effect. “Fatherhood suits you so well, my love.”

“Yes, well, I…” Bacara’s mind went completely blank as Kit more firmly invaded his space, mouth going dry as he drank in the sight of so much green-gold skin. “I’m trying to feed the baby,” he protested weakly even as he leaned in to accept a kiss, followed by a deeper, more searching one.

A short whistle startled them apart. Karking _Jesse_ was in their karking _house_ and was that Hardcase behind him? Rex brought up the rear and his eyes went wide as he took in Bacara’s murderous glare. Kit looked mostly pleased with himself, though he wasn’t projecting as much ‘serene Jedi’ as usual and he leaned further into Bacara’s side. Bacara wasn’t sure if it was a protective thing or he was trying to prevent a karking homicide but either way Jesse was dead if he managed to get his hands on him.

“Wolffe’s going to be so mad that I got to see the little warrior before he did,” Hardcase said happily, seemingly oblivious to what had been going on as he walked in. “And that you went and _proposed_ without telling anybody,” he added, playfully punching Rex in the arm.

Rex and Bacara both froze. Kit took a sharp breath, equally startled.

“Proposed?” Kit asked delicately, and Bacara damn near dropped Shel’ya trying to stop him. This… this was not happening. No. No no no. He shot Rex a look begging him to intervene but his husband was just as shocked as he was.

“Well yeah, you’ve been together forever, and now you’re moving in, and you’ve got a little warrior to raise.” Hardcase ticked each item off on his fingers. “Sounds like the whole vow to me.”

Jesse made a choked off wheezing sound he quickly disguised as a cough when Bacara turned his poisoned glare in his direction.

“Rex.” Bacara dredged The Marine out of retirement. “Why are these two here?”

Both Hardcase and Jesse instinctively stepped into parade rest at that voice, wide-eyed and knowing they were done for.

“They _were_ going to explain what they are building on the beach, and how they’re going to adapt the tide pools by the house to Shel’ya’s needs,” Rex replied, the Captain also making an appearance. “But _now_ they’re going to leave this house immediately and _say nothing to anyone else._ ”

“Yessir,” Hardcase said, and he and Jesse both fled while they had the opportunity. Bacara let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, and Rex’s eyes were wide with shock and horror.

This… this was bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> kot: Strength. If somehow you're new to Soft Wars, this is an injoke that started [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23407009)  
> Shebse: Asses/Assholes. Rex's cadet squad name. (Soft Wars-specific)  
> Vod/Vode: brothers; in this case, the Clones as a people
> 
> The vows Hardcase is referring to are the Mandalorian marriage vows:  
> Mhi solus tome. We are one together.  
> Mhi solus dhar'tome. We are one when parted.  
> Mhi me'dinui an. We share all.  
> Mhi ba'juri verde. We will raise warriors.
> 
> So I mean, he's not _wrong_...


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex and Bacara are both afraid Kit's going to be horribly offended; Kit's only offended that he got interrupted when he was trying to make out with Bacara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my general rampant enablers and betas, Wander and Shira!

Kit sensed his boyfriends approaching, and was immensely relieved at how much more settled both were in the Force. He’d hoped that the appointments they’d headed off to had been with their mind healers and was thrilled to be correct. Rex split off towards the cluster of Torrents. Force be with him on that one, he mused. Bacara came into the house and had ducked into the kitchen before Kit saw him. Kit managed to extract himself from the larger discussion with the fab shop vode and went to meet him, his comm to Ponds still open. Bacara was trying to hide behind his cup of caf and Kit did his best to be merciful, ending the conversation with Ponds and sending the fab shop vode on their way as quickly as he could. Shel’ya had woken by then and Bacara was distracted with caring for her while Kit wrapped things up.

Bacara was _extremely_ attractive holding their daughter. He was so gentle and careful, and clearly adored her. It had been seeing Bacara with Shel’ya that sold Kit on the idea of a family in the first place. Kit all but stalked across the sitting room to join him when Bacara sat down to feed Shel’ya her lunch.

“You are lovely with her,” Kit purred, settling down next to him. Bacara flushed and Kit _wanted._ “Fatherhood suits you so well, my love.”

“Yes, well, I…” Kit leaned in closer with every intent to kiss him. “I’m trying to feed the baby,” Bacara protested weakly even as he accepted a soft kiss, followed by a deeper, more searching one. Kit hummed in interest when a whistle interrupted them.

He turned, leaning further into Bacara’s side as he felt his fury rise. Jesse and Hardcase were in the house, Rex behind them. Rex looked surprised and a little sheepish that they’d interrupted, and rudely at that.

“Wolffe’s going to be so mad that I got to see the little warrior before he did,” Hardcase said happily, seemingly oblivious to what had been going on as he walked in. “And that you went and _proposed_ without telling anybody,” he added, playfully punching Rex in the arm.

Rex and Bacara both froze. Kit took a sharp breath, equally startled, mind going blank. _Proposed?_ What?

“Proposed?” Kit asked carefully, wanting to be certain he knew what Hardcase was talking about.

“Well yeah, you’ve been together forever, and now you’re moving in, and you’ve got a little warrior to raise.” Hardcase ticked each item off on his fingers. “Sounds like the whole vow to me.”

Kit could only wonder what vow he was talking about. Jesse made a choked off wheezing sound he quickly disguised as a cough.

“Rex.” Bacara’s entire demeanor changed and he was using his Commander voice. Oh no. This was bad. “Why are these two here?”

Both Hardcase and Jesse instinctively stepped into parade rest at that voice, wide-eyed and knowing they were done for. Kit didn’t feel sorry for them in the least.

“They _were_ going to explain what they are building on the beach, and how they’re going to adapt the tide pools by the house to Shel’ya’s needs,” Rex had also used his Captain voice. This was worse. “But _now_ they’re going to leave this house immediately and _say nothing to anyone else._ ”

“Yessir,” Hardcase said, and he and Jesse both ran for their lives. Bacara let out a breath and both he and Rex looked horrified.

“It appears I’m missing something,” Kit said after a moment of wary silence. “Because I don’t recall a proposal, and I don’t know what vow Hardcase was talking about.”

“Hardcase has a terrible habit of talking out his shebs,” Bacara said murderously. Rex shot him a hopeless look and crossed the room to settle on the far end of the couch.

“He was talking about the Mandalorian marriage vows,” Rex explained. It was clear he’d rather be talking about anything else, but he dutifully carried on. “ _Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dhar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde._ We are one together, we are one when parted, we share all, we will raise warriors,” he translated.

Oh. Kit nodded; he could see where Hardcase had been going with this. “So by asking me to raise a child with you, you were proposing?”

“No,” Bacara said quickly, alarmed. “We weren’t.”

“Not intentionally, anyway,” Rex added. Bacara leaned around Kit to frown at him.

“Rex!”

“What? It’s not like Hardcase is _wrong,_ we sort of _did._ ”

Bacara stood, handing Shel’ya to Kit. “Excuse us a moment,” he growled, grabbing his husband with the obvious intention of dragging him aside.

“Wait,” Kit called after them, taking a moment to more carefully settle Shel’ya, who made a disgruntled noise when she was so rudely moved while she was trying to eat. “Please. If it wasn’t your intention, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.”

Bacara was tense, still gripping Rex’s arm tightly. “We’ve said we wouldn’t ask for anything more,” he said, though it came across less a statement and more a desperate plea. Kit smiled, projecting calm.

“And you haven’t. I’m not upset, I was just… surprised. I didn’t know the vow's translation, and didn’t take into consideration just how important raising children is in your culture.” He was relieved as they both relaxed, the palpable panic in the room fading. He wondered idly if he could coax Bacara back into the easy affection he’d initiated what already felt like hours ago. Kit glanced at Rex, smirking and gesturing subtly towards Bacara. Rex laughed outright.

“I interrupted something when I came in,” Rex said, downplaying the rest of what had just happened. “Why don’t I take Shel’ya for now and you two go have fun.”

Kit was more than happy to hand their daughter off and saunter over to Bacara, who still looked alarmed but for different reasons. Kit chuckled softly, completely invading Bacara’s space and catching him in a searing kiss. “I’d like to take you apart, if you’re amenable,” he purred, nipping at Bacara’s lower lip.

Bacara’s eyes widened and he nodded enthusiastically, which drew a laugh from Kit. Kit kissed him again and scooped him up to carry off to the bedroom, earning an “Oya!” from an amused Rex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> Oya!: General cheer, literally "Let's hunt!"  
> Shebs: Ass  
> Vod/Vode: brothers; in this case, the Clones as a people
> 
> The vows Hardcase is referring to are the Mandalorian marriage vows:  
> Mhi solus tome. We are one together.  
> Mhi solus dhar'tome. We are one when parted.  
> Mhi me'dinui an. We share all.  
> Mhi ba'juri verde. We will raise warriors.
> 
> (The saucy times can be found [right here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25655443/chapters/62282569) Mind, this is ALL KINDS of NSFW so don't like, please don't read.)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kit and Bacara have two different conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my general rampant enablers and betas, Wander and Shira!

Bacara felt dramatically better when he woke up; all loose-limbed and relaxed. He wondered if that would last once he left the bedroom, because his first attempt at today had been mixed at best. With a shrug he got dressed and ventured out, only for Rex to appear, kiss him firmly, hand him Shel’ya and immediately walk away, headed for the kitchen. Bacara numbly followed, not entirely sure what just happened.

“I’m glad you’re up! Kit’s busy fussing with the crib and I want to get latemeal started,” Rex called over his shoulder. “Hard to do one-handed.”

Bacara leaned against the counter, bouncing Shel’ya. “Did you and Shel’ya have fun this afternoon?” he mused; he and Kit certainly had. Shel’ya trilled happily and snuggled into his neck with a happy sigh. Then she licked him.

...Oh no.

“Kit!” he yelped, voice strangled as he tried not to startle Shel’ya. She didn’t budge, making happy noises against his skin, which was not what he needed right now.

“What?”

“Shel’ya is… extremely interested in my neck,” he managed, not entirely sure how to explain but positive this was a result of their romp earlier. Kit cracked up in the guest room and one glance at Rex saw him laughing as well. “This isn’t funny!”

“It’s fine, it’s not- OW!” Tools rattled and Kit swore softly in another language. He finally hobbled into the kitchen, favoring his left foot. “Tripped over the toolbox,” he said in explanation. Bacara didn’t feel remotely sorry for him. “It’s fine, really,” he assured Bacara again, though he took Shel’ya from him upon seeing his discomfort. “You just… smell like me.”

“Smell like you how? She _licked_ me!” Rex doubled over on the far side of the counter, his laughter turning a shade hysterical.

“It’s not anything bad,” Kit insisted. “Just… happy pheromones.”

“Happy,” Bacara echoed, voice flat. “I'm taking a shower.”

“More than half of Nautila isn’t spoken, it’s communicated in pheromones,” Kit explained, tone patient as he’d explained this before. “Shel’ya’s not old enough to understand all the nuance. She’s just picking up on the love and trust, and probably my own scent.”

“Still showering,” Bacara replied, not believing that there wasn’t more to it. “I knew I should’ve just stayed in bed,” he grumbled, heading for the ‘fresher. He took his time, frustrated. He’d been vaguely aware of the pheromone thing; he’d asked questions the first time Kit had gotten truly contact-drunk with them, and a dizzy post-coital Kit had hummed and explained the basics of how his language worked. He’d called them both “pheromone-deaf” and insisted it was fine, as he rarely interacted with other Nautolans, and even then they’d need to be in close proximity or underwater for it to mean anything.

Bacara had quite a few follow-up questions, now. Most specifically was everything Kit had declared on his skin earlier- _all_ of it, he didn’t believe it was just ‘love’ and ‘trust,’ Kit was too much of an inscrutable Jedi at heart to own up to everything up front- along with how much of that Shel’ya could understand. Maybe it was too nuanced, Bacara didn’t know for certain, but he was still embarrassed that he’d been walking around smelling of Kit’s satisfaction for _years_ and he’d never _realized_ just how much was being said.

Though, as he turned off the shower and toweled off, he realized that Nautolans would be able to tell, and maybe it wasn’t a huge deal in their culture. There was just so much he didn’t _know_ and the lack of knowledge itched, like not having sufficient intel and knowing he’d lose more Novas than he ever should simply because he didn’t have enough information. Panic was building in his chest. He couldn’t lose Shel’ya over something like this. His mind healer had been very specific about the need to talk with his partners about their plans and as soon as he could. Bacara imagined his mind healer had meant ‘when he got home,’ but that had gone out the window as soon as Kit had kissed him. He just wouldn’t mention the delay at his next appointment.

He got dressed (in something clean, thank you, he wasn’t going through that twice) and mentally rehearsed what he wanted to say as he rejoined his partners in the kitchen. Kit was still holding Shel’ya and doing his best to read a datapad with her enthusiastic assistance, as she continually reached for it and immediately tried to put it in her mouth if she managed to grab an edge. Rex was in the middle of cooking latemeal and chuckling at Shel’ya’s excited cries whenever Kit let her catch the datapad for a moment. Bacara reached out for Shel’ya, and Kit obligingly let him reclaim her. Some of the panic receded once he had cuddled Shel’ya close once again and he took a breath to center himself.

“I need to know the plan,” he said, which caught Rex’s attention. “For Shel’ya. Are we keeping her? Are we formalizing everything?” He swallowed, looking down at the little girl in his arms, who had seized a handful of his shirt and shoved that in her mouth instead. She seemed satisfied with the tradeoff so Bacara left her to it. “I’ve been afraid that one of us would change our minds,” he admitted. “Or that something else happens, and we lose her.”

“Never,” Captain Rex said firmly. The Marine nodded, pleased with the durasteel behind Rex’s words.

“I am here because I want to raise Shel’ya with you,” Kit added. “Because I love you both, and I love her. That isn’t going to change.”

Cool relief washed through him and Bacara could breathe again. “Thank you,” he managed after a moment. “Can we fill out the adoption forms? It’ll… that’ll help.”

Kit nodded, glancing at Rex. “It’s the only datapad not in a pile,” Rex replied, gesturing towards the kitchen table, which was awash in datapads and bits of flimsi full of every scrap of information they’d managed to cobble together, and multiple planning pads of Rex’s. Why none of that seemed sufficient to convince Bacara’s fears that this was Very Much The Plan, he wasn’t sure, but he hoped having the paperwork finalized would do it.

Kit and Bacara worked on the adoption forms while Rex finished cooking, calling out questions to him as needed. Overall the forms were straightforward. Initially.

“...Is her name really going to be Shel’ya Fisto of Nova-Torrent of Vode?” Bacara asked somewhat incredulously. “Does that even fit on the form? It’s longer than she is!”

“It doesn’t have to be, but I presume all three of us want it to be clear she’s ours,” Kit replied with a shrug, and his expression turned mischievous. “We could give her a middle name, too, if you’d like, there’s still a little space left.”

Rex set plates of food in front of both of them and took the opportunity to smack Kit upside the head with a towel. “Stop being a menace,” he ordered as he went to get his own plate, though there wasn’t any heat in it. Bacara had gotten fairly good at eating one-handed over the past days, but Shel’ya was exceptionally squirmy today. She grabbed the edge of his plate and he barely managed to catch it before it ended up in both of their laps.

Bacara sighed, shoving his plate further forward on the table and shifting his chair backwards so he could re-swaddle her and have a chance at eating while his food was still warm. “You’re taking after your buir Kit,” he grumbled, but he smirked at Kit. “A menace.”

“Aba,” Kit said mildly. “Aba’s ‘father’ in Nautila. Is there a different word for parent in your dialect?”

“Teil.” A little flush of pleasure came with that, knowing they each had a name for Shel’ya to use. At the very least it’d be easier to tell who she was yelling for, later. Bacara managed to get Shel’ya pinned back in her wraps and held her close. She returned to her previous activity of chewing on his shirt.

“We need to discourage that,” Kit said with a faint frown. “Where’d that datapad go…” He shuffled through the pile- it was getting ridiculous at this point- until he found the one he was looking for, with a list of baby things they’d been ordering as they came up.

“Discourage what?” Bacara wondered. “She’s just chewing on my shirt.”

Kit looked extremely conflicted. “Please don’t panic,” he said slowly, which had the opposite reaction he was obviously hoping for. “But she’ll be teething in a few months, and the second row of teeth come in first.”

Bacara glanced down at his daughter, imagining the razor-sharp second row of teeth Kit had, and shuddered.

“I’ll order toys for her to chew on, if she starts chewing on a person we can give one to her, and if we start now she probably won’t bite anyone.” Kit was scrolling through the datapad, meal forgotten as he shopped.

“...Probably won’t bite anyone?” Bacara echoed.

Kit favored him with a look. “She’s currently chewing on your shirt and probably your shoulder and you’ve barely noticed because you’re used to human babies,” he pointed out. “And even when human babies start teething, they don’t draw blood. Her teeth will be sharp.”

Rex just shook his head, overwhelmed by this new piece of information, and reached for one of his planning datapads without a word.

“Guess it’d be better if I wasn’t holding her and trying to eat at the same time. Have we ordered a high chair yet?” Bacara wondered. He honestly couldn’t remember. Kit obligingly read down the list of things they’d ordered so far, along with their arrival dates. Bacara nodded in relief that they had ordered a high chair, it had just been days ago and he’d already forgotten. In his defense, it had been a truly long few days. Kit got to the newest order, with specialized sun-clothes for Shel’ya to protect her photosensitive skin when they went outside and what sounded like a crate full of toys.

“It’s going to be a few days on this, they’re coming from somewhere off-world. We’ll have to improvise.”

Rex laughed softly. “I think that’s all we’ve done so far, is improvise. Oh, tomorrow we’re going to Cody’s,” he said, finishing adding whatever he’d thought of to his own datapad and returning to eating. “The boys’ve been using a water drill to create a safe swimming area down the beach, both for Shel’ya and the other Littles, and they’re going to use it to smooth the edges of the tide pools around the house so she has somewhere to learn to swim. I figured they could do that tomorrow and we could go visit Cody before the rest of my brothers start showing up.”

Shel’ya started to fuss, and Bacara realized it had been a while since she’d eaten. “Here,” he said, offering her to Kit. “I’ll go make her a bottle.” Kit took her, murmuring reassurance to her that all would be well soon.

“No, I’ll do it, you eat,” Rex said firmly as he stood and went to do it himself. “While it’s still warm.” Bacara sagged and nodded, returning to his long-abandoned plate. He’d had to reheat at least one meal a day every day since Shel’ya arrived, as he’d get distracted when she was eating and forget.

“Oh, that’s what I wanted to order,” Kit murmured, scrolling on the datapad again. “Something less terrible than that mess she’s been eating. Between the two of us, we could easily start making our own baby food, too. It won’t be long, only until her teeth come in, and then she’ll probably prefer live prey.”

Bacara very nearly choked. He set down his fork and took a deep breath, needing a moment after that bombshell. “Excuse me, what?”

“I’m not suggesting we throw her in the ocean to fend for herself, she’ll just prefer what she can catch in the tide pools,” Kit said offhandedly, as if suggesting that an infant was ready for live prey months into their life was normal dinner conversation. “This is why I’m worried about salinity and getting her comfortable swimming in the ocean. There isn’t that much time, not really.”

“My baby is not eating _live prey,_ ” Bacara protested.

“Well not full time, we’ll still have to supplement.”

“Kit. No. Absolutely not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> buir: parent
> 
> As far as our other new words go, "teil" is the JP dialect word for "buir." The JP dialect is being informed by German.
> 
> Nautila is being taken more or less wholecloth from Hebrew. "Aba" means "father."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things settle down a bit.
> 
> ...For like, six minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which everybody wanted to talk, so the POV bounces a few times, along with time skipping. This chapter was An Absolute Bear.
> 
> Many thanks to my general rampant enablers and betas, Wander and Shira!
> 
> Also, [Haat, ijaa, haa'it](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26325757/chapters/6410615) by Wander starts at the beginning of this chapter and deals with the Cody side of things. Go check it out!

“Fox wants to do _what_ to our house?!” Rex demanded, looking over the holopad Kit had just fished out of somewhere in his robes and shoved at him. It was an extremely elaborate detailing of the designs Fox had come up with for the renovation. It was also the first he’d seen of it.

“It’s not like he wants to tear it down, it just desperately needs changes to accommodate Shel’ya,” Kit attempted to soothe. “And to be honest, myself.”

On the other end of the comm, Fox snorted. “Oh, no, I’d rather tear it down and start over,” Fox replied with a grin that showed off far too many teeth. “This is going to be a complete pain in the shebs.”

“Fox,” Ponds said in a warning tone somewhere out of the comm’s camera range. “You agreed to help.”

“Not if Rex is going to be this fucking ungrateful.”

Rex sighed, feeling a headache building. “I’m not _ungrateful_ , you just sprung a full house renovation on me at nine in the morning.”

“Ponds sent it to Kit yesterday afternoon, you’ve had time to look over it.”

“We’re rather busy with a three-month-old at the moment,” Kit said mildly, showing off a few too many teeth of his own.

“My crew has less than a month before our next shoot,” Fox interrupted. “So are you in or not? I don’t give a fuck either way. Feel free to say no, I’m not a charity.”

“Can you give me like ten minutes to karking _think,_ Fox?” Rex snapped. The morning had started out so nicely, too; Shel’ya only woke twice overnight, his Torrents had promised to behave themselves while they played with heavy equipment far, far too close to the house for anyone’s comfort, and they’d been in the middle of breakfast at Cody and Obi-Wan’s before Fox’s surly, impatient self decided to call and start making demands. Cody had taken one look at who was on the comm and threw Rex and Kit out of the house to deal with it, citing not wanting to upset the baby. Rex knew it wasn’t just Shel’ya he was worried about upsetting. His ori’vod was still damn protective of Bacara.

“You should’ve _been_ thinking, you’re the one with the _plans_ -”

“We were barely even talking about adopting yet and we’ve only had her for six days, there’s no _planning_ for Ohnaka just showing up with a baby. This… this looks like it’s going to cost a fortune, and can you really finish it in time without it being a disaster?”

“You saying my work isn’t good enough?”

“No, that’s not what I’m- I just- this is a lot, you’re doubling the size of the house, there are pumps and filters and I don’t even _know_ what some of what I’m looking at even _is_ and it’s messing with the foundation-” Kit put a hand on his shoulder.

“Breathe,” Kit murmured. “We can afford it, and if he says it can be done, it can be done. His show’s in its- what, fourth season?”

“Fifth,” Fox said proudly, looking slightly less like a crazed serial killer after a bit of praise. Rex glanced at Kit.

“How do you even know what our finances look like?” he grumbled.

“Now you’re just being obstinate. Make up your mind so we can go back inside and eat,” Kit replied.

“Fine. Yes, but on one condition. This is not going on your show,” Rex said firmly. “No camera crew. You can take pictures of your work for professional reasons or whatever but if they ever appear on your show or the holonet-”

“Rex’ika, that was always the plan,” Ponds soothed, finally making an appearance within recording range. “You’re going to love it. It’s going to be perfect for your family.”

Rex knew it would be; Fox’s work was excellent, and there was a veritable army of workers here on Concord Dawn if needed. It could, and would, be done on time, and it would be perfect. Rex _also_ knew Fox would be insufferably smug about this for the rest of their natural lives. “Why are there so many bedrooms?” Rex wondered, turning the image. “It looks like you expanded our room to make space for Kit, and obviously Shel’ya will need her own room, but there are… two more half-water ones? And the guest room’s still there?”

“Because I’m only doing this once,” Fox replied with a shrug. “And you’re probably going to end up with more kids.”

“How many kids do you think we’re going to adopt?!” Kit squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.

“We’re just thinking ahead, Rex’ika,” Ponds interrupted before Rex had a chance to get properly worked up about it. “The water systems are set up so the rooms don’t all have to be filled with water, so instead of a grotto it can just be a lofted room. In case your other children aren’t semi-aquatic.”

“A grotto,” Kit repeated, sounding absolutely charmed. Rex was mostly trying to shake off the annoyance at nosy ori’vode speculating on how many children they’d have. There was sure to be plenty of it coming his way, once Cody stopped fending the other Shebse off.

“Alright,” Rex said, giving in. “We’ll do it. Thank you for your help.”

“Still not a charity,” Fox warned.

“I know, send the bills, we’ll get them sorted.” That earned him the serial killer grin again, and Fox ended the comm abruptly, likely to Ponds’ dismay. Rex set his comm to not be disturbed, not wanting to talk to anyone else this morning, and shoved it in his pocket to be ignored. “Everybody needs to back off on us adopting more, we’ve had Shel’ya for six whole days,” Rex grumbled to Kit. “We’re still getting comfortable with one. All it’s going to do is get us all worked up again.”

“It will be fine,” Kit reassured. “Come, let’s go let Bacara know he can stop hiding behind the baby.”

~~~~~

Kit’s incessant tinkering with the crib paid off immediately; Shel’ya went from half-hour snatches of sleep between screeching fits to waking only once or twice a night, and only out of hunger. It bothered Rex that it was set up in the guest room Kit usually claimed for himself rather than in their own bedroom, but the whole thing was massive and took up a significant chunk of real estate and simply wouldn’t have fit. The guest bed had to be shoved against the far wall for there to be space to walk between them without running the risk of breaking a toe in the dark. Kit was obsessive about the crib and wouldn’t let them consider it being kept elsewhere. The whole evening after it arrived he was muttering to himself about salinity and researching how quickly he dared acclimate Shel’ya to Concord Dawn’s salt water. And as Shel’ya was already able to communicate her needs through very basic pheromones, Kit had an edge in the middle of the night to know what she needed. It was hard to compete with that.

Not that they could really hear her in the master bedroom, given how quickly Kit responded when she started to cry. Rex maybe only heard her once over the course of three days; Bacara slept the entire night through like it was his job. Rex was quietly pleased that everyone was getting enough sleep and enjoyed watching as their family settled into a rhythm without any frayed nerves grating on one another. Unsurprisingly Bacara opted to take over the bulk of childcare during the day while Rex and Kit made sure one of them was available to help at all times, coordinating when Rex spent a few hours a day checking in with the different branches of Torrent Security and Kit wandered off to do Jedi things. Kit was alarmingly enthusiastic about taking Shel’ya to the water to play. The freshly-smoothed tide pools _were_ nice to relax in, though. His Torrents had done well.

~~~~~

Kit had barely returned to the sitting room after putting Shel'ya down to sleep before he was set upon by both of his lovers. "...what?" he managed between urgent kisses from Rex. Bacara had his hands buried in Kit's lekku, and his brain was already fuzzy from the contact. "Shel'ya-"

"-is fine," Rex interrupted. "You just put her down. She's slept at least four hours at a time for the last three nights, which means so have _we_ , and it's been far too long since all three of us had time together."

"Months," Bacara added for good measure, nipping at Kit's shoulder. "And your last visit was too short."

It had been; the Council had called him away only two days after he'd arrived to handle something in a nearby sector, and the two tendays he'd managed to coordinate had quickly been swallowed up by his duties as a Jedi. He was every bit as busy as he'd been during the war, if not moreso, between his role on the Council and being one of a handful of Masters particularly suited to the negotiations Obi-Wan previously had been assigned. He didn't fault the man for his journeys after the war's end but he had been a little jealous, if he was being honest with himself. There was simply so much to _do_ and too few to accomplish it.

"Stop that," Bacara admonished. "You're getting all tense. It's different now. You're here, with us, with our daughter."

Kit swallowed back his first bitter response, letting the ugly emotion go into the Force. "For how long, though?" He asked, managing to keep it soft, though sadness leaked through. "My duties to the Council-"

"You're getting ahead of yourself," Rex soothed, perching in Kit's lap and pressing into Keldabe. "Right now your only responsibility is here with our family, and it's staying that way until you're ready to go back." Bacara wrapped his arms around Kit's shoulders, pressing soft kisses under his lekku. The texture of his beard against them sent a shiver down his spine.

Kit laughed at the sensation but he couldn't ignore the concern he could feel from both of them, tamping down some of the lust they'd been projecting. "I want that so badly to be true," he said gently, not wanting to hurt his loves. "But I don't know how long I have before I'm needed somewhere. At least my home is here, now, it won't be so long between visits."

"Kit Fisto," Bacara said firmly, a frisson of fear unlying his words. "You promised you'd be _here_ to raise our daughter. You're not going on any missions any time soon. The Council can figure it out."

"Most of the Jedi on Concord Dawn have stopped running missions entirely, or stepped back to focus on establishing the Temple here, so there are even fewer of us available to run missions. The Senate never runs out of things for us to do-" Both vode froze, and Kit wondered if he'd misstepped.

"...The Senate still has that much control over the Jedi?" Rex asked. "I thought, with all the reforms to the Order…"

"They have been reforms to the Order, not the Senate," Kit replied with a shrug. "Little has changed in the Jedi's relationship with the Senate. We are still its peacekeepers, diplomats…"

"Why?" Bacara, this time, who had shifted so he was gently rubbing Kit's back and leaning against him, a warm pressure against his side. "Don't they have diplomats? Can't they hire peacekeepers?"

"I suppose, but traditionally-"

"The traditions are changing, Kit. I can't believe I didn't see it until now. You're just as isolated as my Novas were, but you've been _alone_."

"That's nonsense, I have both of you."

"What, a tenday every few months and comms once, twice a week?" Kit could sense the hurt Bacara was trying to control, and ached that it was for _him_. "I heard from Rex more often than that during the war and that was over karking priority."

"Bacara," Rex said gently, catching his attention. "We can talk about this more later. It's late."

Kit swallowed, and managed to find his cheekiest smile. "Also I do believe I was being seduced," he added, which earned him a laugh and redoubled efforts from them both. He could still feel some lingering unease, but it wasn't long before Bacara's clever fingers were buried in his lek-tresses again and he forgot how thinking worked.

~~~~~

Rex watched his lovers sleep, which was a wonder in itself. Kit had _fallen asleep_ between them, which never happened. He was curled on his side facing Rex, touching them both, a hand on Rex’s arm, and at least two lekku had wrapped around one of Bacara’s wrists. Rex didn’t think it would last, but he couldn’t help but treasure it.

Kit’s concern of being called away by the Council was grating on him. That the Senate was still ordering the Jedi around was worse. He’d thought that had been resolved.

Rex needed, desperately needed, to call Cody.

He tested Kit’s grip on his arm and attempted to get loose, only for Kit to properly grab him and drag him close, curling around him like Rex was a pillow. He buried his face into the crux of Rex’s shoulder and throat and settled again with a soft, content sigh, still appearing asleep. He might be awake and feeling particularly cuddly, but his slow, steady breathing suggested otherwise.

A smothered chuckle from Kit’s other side hinted that his husband wasn’t as asleep as he’d thought. Bacara peeked at him over Kit’s shoulder, clearly amused. Neither dared speak lest they wake Kit. This amount of comfort with them was… not something either had ever expected. Rex smiled. He was well and truly stuck. He stroked a hand down Kit’s lekku and got his own wrist ensnared in the process, which drew another soft laugh from Bacara.

Oh, well. A particularly cuddly Kit was hardly a trial to be endured. Rex let himself drift, only waking when he heard Shel’ya start to cry. It was dark, and Kit was blinking blearily at him, clearly disoriented.

“You fell asleep,” Rex said with a shrug. “And wouldn’t let either of us go.”

“That’s… new,” Kit allowed as he untangled himself from them, still sluggish from sleep. “I didn’t think I could… do that.”

“Neither did we.” Rex got up to let him out of their bed without the indignity of having to climb over someone. “Do you want me to get Shel’ya?”

“No, no, I’ve got it, go back to sleep.” Kit smiled and kissed him fondly before disappearing into the guest room, closing both bedroom doors behind himself to muffle their daughter’s cries. Rex lay back down, wondering if maybe someday Kit could share their bed more often.

~~~~~

Cody was still waiting for his caf to finish brewing when his comm went off. He sighed. Things had been going so _well_ lately, he hadn’t had an emergency requiring his attention before breakfast in at least a tenday. He glanced at the number and realized it was Rex. That was a relief; his vod’ika probably didn’t have anything pressing.

“Good morning, Rex,” Cody answered, reaching for a mug in the cupboard.

“Kote,” Rex replied, voice tense. “The Senate is still in charge of the Jedi.”

The mug slipped from suddenly numb fingers and crashed to the floor, shattering.

“ _What_?”

“Kit’s being run even more ragged than during the war, Cody, and we didn’t _know_.” Rex’s voice held a painful mix of grief and anger. “He’s never said anything about it before, but last night, he was worrying that he’d get sent on another mission soon, even though he’s here now, even though he’s got Shel’ya to worry about. Acted like it was perfectly _normal_ to never get downtime. And he said the Senate never runs out of things for the Jedi to do. That the reforms to the Jedi and the Senate didn’t include anything about the Jedi not being the Senate’s dogs anymore.”

“Take a breath, Rex’ika,” Cody said gently. “We’ll fix this. Come over, and bring Kit. Obi-Wan can talk to him and get a better idea what’s going on. Don’t bring Bacara and Shel’ya unless you think Bacara can handle it.” Bacara’s relationship with his Jedi General during the war hadn’t done him any favors, and it had taken so long for him to get truly comfortable with Kit and the other Jedi on Concord Dawn. Cody didn’t want to see that progress erased.

Rex nodded, angrier than Cody had seen him in a long time. “Thank you. We’ll be there soon.” Cody nodded and ended the comm, turning to see Obi-Wan standing in the doorway, holding a broom and dustpan.

“Stand still,” Obi-Wan said, as Cody was barefoot, and he swept up the shards of ceramic around him. Cody stepped out of the way once the rest of the floor was clear so Obi-Wan could make certain to catch all the pieces.

“How much did you hear?” Cody asked.

“Only that something went very wrong with the reforms,” Obi-Wan replied, throwing the broken mug away. He returned the broom and dustpan to the closet and came to wrap his arms around Cody’s waist, resting his head on Cody’s shoulder. “I was afraid it was all too good to be true.”

“When they get here, you can talk to Kit, figure out where things went wrong,” Cody replied, pressing a kiss to Obi-Wan’s hair. “And I’ll make some calls to the Senate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> Kote: Glory  
> Ori'vod(e): older sibling(s)  
> Shebs: Ass  
> Shebse: Asses/Assholes. Rex's cadet squad name. (Soft Wars-specific)  
> vod’ika: younger sibling  
> Vode: brothers; in this case, the Clones as a people
> 
> There _is_ a saucy interlude being written, but I don't know when it's going to be finished. It'll be linked once it is. :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit's fine. Absolutely, 100% fine. Never better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which I crank Healthy Adult Conversation up to 11 and break off the dial.
> 
> Many thanks to my general rampant enablers and betas, Wander and Shira! And ABSURD amounts of thanks to Tessa for all of her hard work helping with Kit's dialogue in Nautila!
> 
> (This chapter went up ~24 hours after the last one, so if you're feeling a bit lost, double-check that you didn't miss chapter 12. :) )

Being seated in a plush armchair in Cody and Obi-Wan’s living room opposite both Aayla and Obi-Wan on the sofa, a tray of tea and snacks on the low table between them, should have felt domestic, familiar. Kit had to admit, he hadn’t felt this lost in quite some time. Both Aayla and Obi-Wan were looking at him with expressions he didn't ever expect from either. They had become so much freer here; Aayla was nearly as playful as she'd been back when she was Vos' padawan, and Obi-Wan no longer looked haunted and overwhelmed. Concord Dawn had been good for them. Good for everyone here.

"Kit… Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Obi-Wan asked gently, as if Kit were some broken thing and not a Jedi Master in his own right.

"Tell you about what? I stayed on Coruscant because I knew I'd be needed there more than here, and I was right," he replied, and that was more defensive than he'd intended, kriff. "The Council decided not to burden the Jedi here with more missions from the Senate. You have your hands full assisting the Vode and establishing a new Temple, after all."

"What do you mean, the Council? Kit, _I_ am on the Council. Depa and Shaak are on the Council. None of us were involved in this decision!"

"For a reason, Obi-Wan. The Jedi on Concord Dawn needed the time to rest and focus."

Obi-Wan was no longer concerned and well on his way to being offended. "And you don't?" He demanded. "I recall fighting at your side on quite a few occasions."

Kit sighed, struggling not to fidget. Obi-Wan's ire was a difficult burden to bear. He buried his hands in his robes and concentrated on what he wanted to say. "Yes. And there is no longer a war. I run more traditional missions now. A lot of missions you would have been assigned, before." He grinned. "I daresay I'm well on my way to a nickname like 'The Negotiator' of my own."

"When was your last uninterrupted leave?" Aayla asked. Kit had to pause to think, and frowned as he realized he didn't know. Aayla's expression turned pained. "How long, Kit?"

"This is the longest I've been on-planet in at least a year, without interruption," he admitted. "I've set up longer visits, but there is always something pressing to go manage nearby, and it's convenient that I'm here."

"Why wouldn't one of us be asked, instead?" Obi-Wan asked. "It's not like we aren't similarly close. Force, I haven't had a mission in half a year, at least."

Kit stared and had to swallow back a wave of jealousy. He took a moment to center himself and release it all to the Force. It was harder than he expected.

"I've had two leaves cut short in the last six months," he whispered. "I was barely here two days last time."

"Why were you sent, specifically?"

"I was personally requested." Kit's hands were shaking.

"By whom?" Obi-Wan produced a datapad from somewhere on his person. "The Council? A senator? The Senate?"

Kit thought back and provided names of all the senators he'd found himself at the beck and call of in the last several years, along with what he could recall of the missions themselves. "You'd have to confirm with Master Nu, I'm sure I'm forgetting some."

"I want to know the ones that interrupted your personal leave," Aayla said firmly. That… that was a much shorter list. All senators of worlds where Kit had personally led a campaign, or Obi-Wan had. Most formerly Separatist.

"Oh," Obi-Wan murmured, looking over the list. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Aayla put a hand on Obi-Wan’s arm, pushing until Obi-Wan set the datapad down. “We’ll look into this,” she said, glancing back at Kit. “You’re safe from all that nonsense here.”

“No, I’m afraid I’m not.”

“Why? It sounded like the difference was being on Concord Dawn, and you officially live here now, by the Temple’s standards,” Obi-Wan pointed out.

“I…” Kit wasn’t certain how to articulate his concerns, and had to stop to think. “I don’t have the connections the rest of you do to the Vode. I was never officially the general of a specific unit, and I’m not married to any Vode, and that’s what informed the decision of which Jedi are focused exclusively on Concord Dawn.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Aayla said.

“I have to agree with Aayla,” Obi-Wan agreed mildly. “Just because you’re not married to them, doesn’t mean you don’t have the same connections we do-”

“Yes, it does,” Kit stressed. “Or I wouldn’t have been called away every time I’ve managed to carve out time to be here with them. It’s not going to stop the Senate from making ridiculous requests. I’m tired of all the petty missions to formerly-separatist worlds. I can’t decide if it’s them trying to put me in my place for doing as I was asked as a Jedi, or trying to prove they’re loyal now. But the Jedi are supposed to serve the galaxy, so I’ll keep doing the missions I’m assigned, because there just aren’t enough of us in the field.” He sighed. “I’m not going to ask to be shifted off of short-term missions simply because I live here now and have a family. There’s too much to do.”

“It’s been five years, Kit,” Obi-Wan said firmly. “And that decision never should have been made without the feedback of the Council members here.”

“You _disappeared_ for a _year_ , Obi-Wan,” Kit pointed out tersely. “Vanished entirely. And after that you could barely be reached by anyone. When that decision was made, you were gone, Shaak Ti was overseeing the transition of two _million_ Vode children, including who knows how many that were still in tubes, and Depa had a traumatized padawan to consider. You do not get to tell me how the Council should have responded in those circumstances because you weren’t there.” Kit took a breath, forcing calm he didn’t feel back into his words. "All of the Jedi with padawans were pulled back for a while, along with those Knights who struggled to cope with the trauma of the war. As a Master on the Council, it is my responsibility to protect them while they recover."

"When do you get to recover?" Aayla asked.

"I'm fine," Kit assured her. His hands were still shaking, but he hoped his robes were hiding that. Exhaustion and frustration were bleeding off him in waves and he was struggling to center himself in the Force and release it all. The longer he was here on Concord Dawn it seemed the less control he had of his emotional state and the more anxieties were coming unmoored from where he’d been resolutely ignoring them for… a long time. Things he simply hadn’t had the time to properly address, both during the war and the years afterward.

“Bantha osik,” Rex growled from the door. Kit glanced up in surprise; last he’d checked, both Rex and Cody had been in another room, talking, but now they were standing in the doorway and had clearly been eavesdropping for a while. Cody aimed an elbow at Rex’s ribs for interrupting but Rex sidestepped the blow and crossed the room to Kit’s side, pulling him into Keldabe. “You’re lying, and the worst part is you believe it,” he said softly. Kit’s protests died in his throat. “You’re not fine. None of this is fine. Let us help you.”

"Rex, I-"

"You're shaking," Rex interrupted, gently smoothing his hands down Kit’s shoulders and upper arms. "I'm serious, Kit. You've managed to hold it together somehow, you stubborn di'kut, but you don’t have to anymore.”

He… didn’t have to anymore. Kit breathed slowly, rolling the words around, tasting the freedom there. He could rest a while. He reached up, wrapping shaking hands around Rex’s forearms and held, afraid to let go. Someone was speaking in Nautila and it took an embarrassingly long time to realize it was him. _“Ana lo tahart otee leevtor ana,”_ he whispered, eyes slipping closed as he made his plea. _“Avi rotzah lo-shahut; avi rotzah lo-heyot bayt av; avi rotzah tah-lahanesh; avalk avi rotzah lo-heyot avdeer Jidi. Ana lo tahart otee leevtor;_ Rex; _ana.”_

“Kit, I’m sorry, I don’t know what you just said,” Rex admitted. “I don’t speak Nautila.”

Kit knew that; he also knew he wasn’t ready to say it in Basic. He pulled away from Rex, summoning all the Jedi tranquility and composure he could find within himself to stand tall. “You’re right. I’m not fine,” he agreed. “If Aayla wouldn’t mind showing me the way, I believe I should go to the Halls of Healing. I’ve not been to this Temple nearly enough to remember where everything is yet.” He managed a wan smile. “And I’m certain the rest of you have things to discuss, given the blatant eavesdropping.”

~~~~

There was a beat before anyone moved. Aayla nodded and stood, clearly relieved that Kit was willing to go talk to someone without having to be dragged there. Silence reigned a while after they left. Rex sank into Kit’s vacated chair, burying his face in his hands. Cody leaned on the doorframe. Obi-Wan appeared lost in thought.

“This is actually _worse_ than he admitted last night,” Rex finally said. “And he’s _never_ said that much to me in Nautila before. I don’t know what it meant, but he was shaking the whole time. He never lets us see him like that.” _And it hurts,_ he didn’t say, not comfortable with that truth. Kit had always been private and reserved, and focused all of his considerable charm and attention on them when he visited. Rex wondered if he would’ve figured out what Kit was hiding behind the flirting and easy smiles if he’d ever bothered to pull his brain above his beltline long enough to notice. “We didn’t know why his visits kept getting cut short. Bacara was starting to worry that he was getting ready to break things off with us. I didn’t think that was it, but it didn’t make sense that he’d have to go, when there are plenty of Jedi here who could’ve gone instead.”

Cody winced. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m going to fix this. I’m going to talk to the Council, talk to the Senate, see what’s wrong, and fix it, I promise.” He pushed away from the door frame and mirrored Rex’s actions from earlier, kneeling next to his vod’ika and pulling him into Keldabe.

“I swore that your battles are mine,” Kote said, voice firm and resolute. “And I meant it. Your family is my aliit, your daughter my vod’ad. I will protect them- all of them. I’m putting Kit under Nova restrictions. He doesn’t leave my planet without my permission. I won’t stand by and watch the Senate destroy the Jedi."

Rex could breathe again, and nodded quickly. “Thank you,” he whispered, pulling away once he felt ready. “Though you get to explain Nova restrictions to Kit,” he added wryly. “I want to watch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> aliit: family  
> di'kut: idiot  
> Kote: Glory  
> osik: shit  
> vod'ad: niece/nephew (author-derived)  
> vod’ika: younger sibling  
> Vode: brothers; in this case, the Clones as a people
> 
> Nautila: (derived from Hebrew)
> 
> Ana lo tahart otee leevtor ana. Avi rotzah lo-shahut; avi rotzah lo-heyot bayt av; avi rotzah tah-lahanesh; avalk avi rotzah lo-heyot avdeer Jidi. Ana lo tahart otee leevtor; Rex; ana. : Please don’t make me choose, please. I want to stay, I want to be with my family, I want to marry you, but I want to be a good Jedi. Please don’t make me choose, Rex, please.
> 
> [Your Battles are Mine, My Victories are Yours](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26133550) is now out! Cody decided he wanted to throw down with the Senate in Wander's head, so here we go. :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit has had two padawans. Both are now grown, Knighted, and off doing their own thing in the galaxy at large. 
> 
> Apparently Bant's thing is now on Concord Dawn.
> 
> Kit isn't sure if he should be afraid and he doesn't dare ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Shira, Tessa, and Wander for the general rampant enabling and betas!

Kit was putting on a front and he knew it, Aayla knew it, every karking Jedi within a parsec of them knew it; but so far nobody had called him on it so that was... something, anyway. His hands were still trembling a little and he didn’t even know _why_. Rex had felt _devastated_ when he’d called Kit out. Kit remembered how both Rex and Bacara had gone still the night before when he’d acknowledged the Senate still retained so much control over the Jedi. He’d hurt them both, and he’d never meant to.

“Knight Secura, Master Fisto!” called a very familiar voice. Kit blinked in surprise, stopping in his tracks. The Temple was still a fair distance away but someone in Jedi robes was running up to them. Kit glanced at Aayla, who was unsuccessfully attempting to smother a grin.

“Obi-Wan must’ve commed ahead,” she said innocently. Kit sighed and glanced back towards the Jedi as they skidded to a stop in front of them, flipping back their hood. A salmon-toned Mon Calamari beamed at him.

“Bant?” Kit had no idea his former Padawan was on Concord Dawn. “When did you get here?”

“Three days ago,” the cheerful Mon Calamari replied. “After Master Che found out from one of the Vode medics that you’d adopted a baby, she recommended that I come help patch up some holes in their interspecies pediatric knowledge. I can’t believe you, Master! Master Che found out from a Vode medic, and then _I_ found out from Master Che, and you didn’t comm me _or_ Nahdar!” She playfully punched him in the arm. “You never told me about your boyfriends and now you have a baby?”

“I, um… sorry?” Kit hazarded, not entirely certain what to say in this situation. “I didn’t mean to exclude either of you, it’s been… busy.”

“I’ll leave you two to catch up,” Aayla said, looking positively gleeful.

“Don’t you dare tell Bly about any of this,” Kit begged.

Aayla shrugged. “I can try, but you know Bly is dying to know how things are going for his vod’ika,” she teased.

“Aayla, please. Rex is already upset with me.”

“No, he’s not, he’s worried,” Aayla assured him, serious now. “I won’t tell Bly anything, I was just teasing. Just go to the Halls of Healing like you said you would.”

“...Why are you going to the Halls of Healing?” Bant asked suspiciously.

“I need to speak with one of the mind healers.” Kit kept his voice as steady as possible and was already digging deep for whatever shreds of serenity he could find. Of all the Jedi healers to trip over it had to be _Bant_...

“How convenient that I am one,” Bant said, looping her arm in his and heading back towards the Temple. “...You could speak with someone else if you’d like,” she added, glancing up at him to gauge how he felt about it. His former padawan was too perceptive by half. “But I’d like to help you, Master.”

Kit didn’t have to look at her to know she was giving him the tooka eyes. He wrapped his shields more firmly around himself and projected more serenity but it didn’t work. He’d had two padawans and this one? This one knew him too well and was prone to calling him on his “Jedi osik” as Rex would say. “It’s… a lot,” he finally admitted. “Things I am not certain I am comfortable with you seeing.”

“I’ve known about them since your first date with Rex on Coruscant,” she said softly. “In case you forgot, I’m not pheromone-deaf.”

Kit spluttered and wondered when he’d lost control of this conversation. He then wondered if he’d ever had control in the first place, and concluded that no, he most certainly hadn’t.

“I know you want to keep your reputation as a level-headed Jedi Master,” Bant continued once Kit was done making unhappy noises. “And, well, you know how hard it is to keep anything secret in a Temple. But I already _know_ you’re a mess and I’ve kept it a secret for _years_.”

“You’re lucky you’re my favorite,” Kit grumbled.

“Oh _now_ I’m your favorite? I couldn’t have been your favorite and get to see at _least_ a comm picture of your new daughter before you ran off across the galaxy?” Bant was grinning unrepentantly at him, thrilled to needle him in person.

“Have you seen pictures?” Kit wondered. “If I show you pictures will you stop?” He could tell she was trying to distract him but it wasn’t helping. If anything, it was making him feel more anxious. He fumbled through a robe pocket for the holopad where he’d been uploading pictures, keying in his code before handing it over and stuffing his still-shaking hands back into his sleeves as soon as Bant accepted it. She gave him a look that made it clear she had seen all of that but would allow it for now and instead focused on the pictures.

“Oh my goodness she’s so cute,” Bant gushed. “She’s really enjoying the water, isn’t she?”

Kit glanced at which picture she was looking at and smiled. He wasn’t certain when it had been taken, but he was holding Shel’ya in one of the tide pools, her happily splashing away. “Yes, though she’s not acclimated enough to start learning how to swim in the tide pools quite yet, I only was able to start the transition five days ago. In another three weeks or so, I think, if she takes to the saline changes in her crib.”

“You think twenty days’ll be enough?”

“Concord Dawn is much less salty than Glee Anselm, so her gills will be fine. I can always slow down if needed, but she’ll be four months old by then, and I want her to be comfortable in the water before she starts wanting to hunt things.”

“Oh, that’s at what, six months? Not much time at all,” Bant agreed. “She’s lovely, and so loved.”

“Yes.” Kit watched her scroll through the pictures. “Bacara barely puts her down.”

“I can tell, he’s in most of these.” She found one of Bacara napping with Shel’ya on his chest. “Oh Force that’s cute.”

“I _know_ ,” Kit agreed, enthusiastically telling her about the four days he’d spent in hyperspace and how often Rex had commed to share that Bacara had fallen asleep somewhere with a snoozing Shel’ya (and once when Bacara was able to turn the tables on him.) Bant kept their conversation light as they finished the walk to the Temple, Kit answering her questions and telling her stories of the past tenday since Cody had shown up one morning with Shel’ya. He only realized his hands had stopped shaking when he accepted the holopad back. Bant gave him a knowing smile and led the way to the Halls of Healing and into one of the meditation rooms.

“Would you like me to get someone else?” she asked politely.

Kit smiled, shaking his head. “No, you’re right; you know most of my nonsense and are remarkably discrete about it.”

“Nobody would believe me anyway.” Bant closed the door and they both got comfortable. “Humble, introspective Master Fisto, the Nautolani Nightmare.”

Kit, who had already closed his eyes as he settled into meditation, cracked an eye back open to glower at her. “Mon Calamari Menace.”

Bant grinned unrepentantly. “And you know it.”

Kit grumbled a bit but quickly subsided in favor of getting this over with. He let Bant through his shields, though he held them strong against the rest of the universe. Gradually, as he grew comfortable with her presence, he lowered the ones he held closest, where he’d long since buried the things he’d never quite managed to completely give to the Force. Things like

_Guilt._

_Meeting Rex. Meeting Bacara. Feeling just how desperate they were to connect with someone, anyone; how desperately lonely both were. Rex being all things for his men, taking what comfort he could but it was never enough. Bacara’s isolation and profound loneliness which was a beacon in the Force but too far away to soothe. Knowing he **could** make that connection but being afraid to, afraid where that attachment would lead. Feeling like a hypocrite for telling Rex not to be afraid of the future and live in the present when he could barely manage it, some days. The future was dark and nebulous and full of so much_

_Pain._

_Feeling each loss keenly like a lance through the heart but unable to let himself falter. Managing a genuine- though less so as the war dragged on- smile whenever he was asked how he was doing. Everyone who asked carried the same pain; why burden them with it? They all felt just as much_

__

_Loss._

_So many battlefields; so many men lost at every turn. No matter how hard he fought, how viciously, he couldn’t stop losing the men he was entrusted with. Never being assigned a specific battalion so he was never able to build the closer relationships some of his fellow Jedi had with their own men. Bounced from unit to unit, one of a handful of the semi-aquatic Jedi who was capable of thriving in nearly any type of water, so every water world was his responsibility and all he did was fail at every turn. Neverending_

_Fear._

_Countless hours alone, between fronts, either isolating himself in his borrowed quarters on yet another Venator or in his Delta-7, shaking apart. Scared out of his wits that this would be the day he came back with no troops at all, or that he’d get news that someone else he loved had died. Terrified that he’d feel Rex or Bacara die. **This** was why he couldn’t become attached (more attached?). Because fear led to_

_Anger._

_He was blindingly furious all the time, more and more as the war dragged on, and then as he was dragged from one side of the galaxy and back again at the Senate’s whims. He gladly stepped forward again and again as a sacrifice to protect others who were not as strong and able to give things up to the Force (but he hadn’t been; so many emotions pent up that simply wouldn’t let go of him, or perhaps he couldn’t let them go.) But no matter how hard he tried to spare a moment here and there for his lovers, he was constantly pulled away by his duties, and it was getting worse and worse; his anger was leading to_

_Hate._

_He hated them; the Separatists and the Republic both. The powerful ones who were ignorant to the suffering of the weak on each and every embattled planet. The ones who turned blind eyes to the ever-flourishing slave trade, who counted their financial gain as they gleefully invested in weapons, in ships, in bacta farming, in armor production, in more and more clones and droids to fight to the death in a galaxy they cared nothing about. At his weakest moments it was hard to give up the hate and its inevitable outcome,_

_Suffering._

_He **ached** from phantom wounds; things that had been quickly healed with the Force or bacta but never quite gave up its grip. A deep cut here, a puncture there, and pain burrowed in and made itself at home in his bones. His soul felt like it was in tatters. He was halfway to being one with the Force already. Buried somewhere at the core was a fragile spark of_

_Hope._

_Tiny glimmers here and there before being snuffed out again as he lost more and more that was dear to him. Eight years of loss, getting his hopes up only for it to be dashed again and again. Rex. Bacara. Shel’ya. They held so much promise, so much hope, so much **love** and it was absolutely terrifying. He was going to lose them somehow. He wanted this, a family, so much, but the more real it became the more frightened he was to reach out and grasp with both hands. He just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t take losing them and it was inevitable and a good Jedi would be able to let all of this go, let go of the attachments and hold himself apart and-_

_‘Kit,’ Bant’s voice whispered, nearly inaudible over the swirling panic rising up to swallow him. ‘I know you’re afraid. Let me help you. Emotions are healthy as long as you can let them go, even the hard ones.’_

_**‘Emotion, yet peace,’** echoed the Force, the Code he’d built his life around. **‘Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.’**_

_Peace, Kit realized, sounded really good right now._

~~~~~

Coming out of meditation, Kit felt like he’d been hit by a runaway speeder, but yet remarkably calm about it. The shadows in the room had switched sides entirely- they’d been at this far, far longer than it seemed. He was afraid to look up and see Bant’s expression, but with a breath he released it and met her gaze evenly, relieved to see only compassion, rather than pity as he’d been fearing.

“Thank you,” he managed. “I know that was…”

“A lot?” Bant replied, standing and offering him a hand up.

Kit nodded, accepting the hand and standing. At least his hands weren’t shaking again. “Indeed. Are you certain…?”

“Master, that’s hardly the worst I’ve ever seen.”

“Now I have more concerns,” Kit joked weakly. Oh, he was not doing well at trying to convince anyone who knew him that he was okay, not by any stretch of the imagination. This was going to be a lot of work.

“I think we should meet daily,” Bant said gently. “And maybe you should get quarters here at the Temple for now. There are plenty, and I’m sure there are some big enough for all four of you.”

“...The house _is_ getting remodeled soon,” Kit replied, liking the idea. The Force was already singing in the halls of the Temple, all the different aspects rather than the Living Force being the strongest as it was at their home. It was quiet, here, and they wouldn’t have any surprise guests. ...Hopefully. If he was going to be working through things he’d been burying for eight years, he didn’t think he had it in him to also handle surprises with anything close to grace.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Bant said as he stepped outside. Kit wasn’t surprised to find Bacara lingering a bit further out, waiting for him. He was even less surprised to see Shel’ya dozing in his arms and drooling on him, not a care in the world.

“Rex told me a little,” Bacara said by way of greeting. “Are you… okay now?”

“No,” Kit admitted. It didn’t hurt as much as he’d expected it to. “But I will be. Bant suggested we get quarters here in the Temple while I’m dealing with all this. It’ll be quieter, with a dramatic decrease in the frequency in surprise visitors.”

“Most of the Shebse’ll still let themselves in,” Bacara said wryly, but he nodded. “But it’s not a bad idea. Definitely better than a hotel or trying to stay at someone else’s while the house is worked on.” He glanced at Shel’ya. Babies didn’t just _complicate_ matters; things went from a trip from point A to point B to a complex battle plan with multiple contingencies in place, and even with a former General, Commander, and Captain, sometimes it seemed beyond their ken.

“The further we can keep Rex from Fox the happier we’ll all be. I’ll go speak with the Quartermaster, then, and find you afterwards.” Bacara nodded his agreement, perfectly content to stay where he was and be drooled on by their sleeping daughter. Kit watched fondly for a moment before locating the Quartermaster (and finding himself grateful that the overall layout of this Temple echoed the one on Coruscant) and arranging quarters for their family, anticipating at least a month before their house was finished, for all Ponds was insisting it would only be a tenday. He was happy to head home with Bacara, bone-tired from his day, and was surprised when Rex wasn’t home. Bacara was being vague about it so Kit didn’t push, instead focusing on cooking latemeal.

Rex trudged in while he was cooking, looking exhausted. “Is everything okay?” Kit hazarded, mostly focusing on not burning their food.

“Cody’s going to Coruscant to address the Senate,” he explained, seeing that Kit had cooking well in hand so he started setting the table. “He’ll be heading out in a couple days.” Rex took a breath. “I want to go with him.”

Bacara drifted in, settling Shel’ya in the modified seat of her high chair with one of her teething toys. She was chirping animatedly at them, excited when she saw all of her parents in the same room. Kit couldn’t help but smile at the happy pheromones she was broadcasting to the world at large. “It might not be a bad idea,” Bacara said. “Better you than me.”

“There wouldn’t be a Senate dome left,” Rex agreed. His smile turned feral. “I don’t mind standing back and watching Cody put a boot up some Senate shebse.” Both Vode chuckled darkly at that and Kit didn’t want to know.

“And if that doesn’t work?” Kit wasn’t sure if he wanted to get his hopes up or not that anything could change, dealing with the Senate. Maybe in Shel’ya’s lifetime. _Maybe._

“Cody’s going to take the Jedi on Coruscant and fix it himself,” Rex said, pleased with the idea. “With the ones on the “Not Allowed on Concord Dawn” heading to Corellia, but the rest will be brought here, with those on the “Restricted Movements” lists either kept in the Temple or escorted around,” he added, as Bacara visibly paled.

Kit winced, hating that Bacara still had that reaction to many of the other Jedi.

“Kit made arrangements for us to stay at the Temple for the next month while the house is worked on,” Bacara said quietly, anxiety creeping into his voice.

“We’ll check the list, then, and make sure any you’re not comfortable around go to Corellia,” Rex assured him softly. “I’m pretty sure they’re already on that list but it can’t hurt to double-check.”

Not feeling like he had a place in this conversation, Kit focused on his cooking- nothing fancy, he should do something more interesting for them, but things were so busy right now- and brought it to the table once it was finished. Over their meal, Rex told them more about the plan, at least the parts he was aware of. He’d spent the day working with Thire, Davijaan, and his Torrent boys on Coruscant on both the security aspect of Cody’s visit and fleet logistics of taking the entire Jedi Order in one swoop if it was needed.

“That explains why you were gone most of the day,” Bacara mused. “And why you look like you got hit by a fleet transport.”

“Thank you, Bacara, I can always count on you to remind me how attractive I am.” Rex smirked at Bacara’s offended look and glanced at Kit. “Did everything go alright at the Temple?”

“Yes. Actually, my former padawan, Bant Eerin, is here. She’s working with Kix and some of the other Vode medics to help them with- how’d she put it?- improving their “interspecies pediatric knowledge” or something, though mostly it’s a front to get to come here and bother me and see Shel’ya. Since we have a good working relationship, she’s working with me on…” he gestured vaguely at his head, “...everything.”

“I didn’t know you had a padawan,” Bacara said.

“Two, actually. Both before the war- and they both survived it, thank the Force.” Kit thought about it a moment. “I’ve never been in the habit of talking about them, I suppose.”

Shel’ya started to make unhappy noises, her discomfort abrasive. Kit stood, as he’d finished eating already, having not been very hungry. “I’ll take care of her,” he assured them both. Bacara hadn’t even moved once Kit stood, which was thrilling to see. Seeing him start to relax while his partners took responsibility for their daughter was a great deal of trust, after all. It was late in the evening for Shel’ya, so Kit started their evening routine, feeling at peace as he prepared her for bed. After a bottle, bath, and changed diaper, he gently rocked her to sleep, humming as he paced in the guest room. She was soon fast asleep and he settled her into her crib. He watched a while, both to make sure the small adjustment he’d made to the salinity wasn’t bothering her and simply because it was peaceful watching her rest. He finally rejoined his partners in the sitting room and blinked when he realized Cody had arrived at some point.

“Oh, good evening,” Kit greeted awkwardly, having not expected the Vod’alor to make an appearance.

“Evening,” Cody replied, gesturing at the couch, encouraging Kit to have a seat. Kit chose a corner and wasn’t surprised when he was soon bracketed with Rex on one side and Bacara leaning against the arm of the couch on the other. “I made some decisions that will affect you, and need to explain them.”

“Rex already said you’ll bring the Jedi here if the Senate doesn’t cooperate,” Kit said offhand.

“Not about the Jedi, Kit. About you in particular.”

Kit felt the color leech from his skin and Bacara leaned more fully into his side. “Yes?”

“I’m putting you on Nova restrictions,” Cody said, voice gentle. “That means that you can’t leave Concord Dawn without my permission. Nobody overrides that- not the Senate, not the Jedi Council. Nobody. Before I’ll even consider lifting those restrictions, you have to be in therapy of some kind- seeing a Jedi mind healer counts- and they have to tell me you’re doing well enough that they feel you’d be safe to leave the planet. Traditionally Nova restrictions are for actual Novas, so the decision is based on discussions I have with Bacara, who knows his men inside and out. He usually would speak with their partners and close friends first. I want to talk to both Bacara and Rex before I make a decision, and all of us have to agree that you would do well if you left Concord Dawn. Also, you wouldn’t be allowed to be on your own at first, either. Someone I trust who can handle a crisis like you had earlier today will go with you the first few times.”

Kit’s mind swam as he took in the breadth of those restrictions. “...How long are they usually in place?”

“Most of my men are still on restrictions,” Bacara replied softly. “Most of them feel safer with them. Nobody can tell you to leave Home, Kit. You’re safe here. Cody will never send you out there ever again if you don’t want to go.”

“I can just… stay?”

“Yes. As long as you want,” Cody agreed. “For the rest of your life, if that’s what you want. If you do want to go, the soonest I considered anyone for lifting restrictions was after a year, all of them for jobs or colleges. We sent off what, a dozen? All at the same time. None of them went alone.”

Bacara nodded silently, still pressing into his side. Rex was mirroring him, grounding Kit in the moment as the words slowly sank in, the fears of being called away in a moment for some urgent mission on the other side of the galaxy dissipating like so much smoke.

Cody leaned forward, eyes locked with Kit’s. “I put the restrictions in place, and you get to decide when we start lifting them. But it has to be _you_ who wants them lifted. Not the Jedi, not the Senate. You.”

Kit took a breath, then another. The weight of expectation was lifting and that tiny spark of hope he had buried deep in his soul burned a little bit brighter.

Peace. He _could_ have peace.

“Thank you,” he whispered. Cody smiled, nodding once. Kote shone from within, pleased he’d made the right decision for another of his people.

“You’re welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando'a:  
> Kote: Glory; Cody's actual name that is associated more closely with the Vod'alor  
> osik: shit  
> Shebse: Asses/Assholes. Rex's cadet squad name. (Soft Wars-specific)  
> Vod'alor: Clan head of the Vode. (Soft Wars-specific)  
> vod'ika: younger sibling  
> Vode: brothers; in this case, the Clones as a people
> 
> Mind healer = therapist, though for Jedi it's sort of different. Bant _is_ trained in it specifically.
> 
> I have Softened Bant and Nahdar's stories! Bant required about three bottles of Downy; her first Master, Master Tahl, was still blinded and severely injured, but she didn't die, and was definitely not well enough for field work for quite some time. Kit stepped forward to take over her training and helped Bant flourish. Bant became an excellent healer and was a General in the war somewhere as well, though we never saw her in the Clone Wars. As That Thing Didn't Happen, she was never killed and is thus free to come be a menace in Kit's general direction. Last Kit knew, she was working in the Halls of Healing on Coruscant and he hadn't seen her in a while. Unlike Obi-Wan, Kit is not an injury magnet and he's been too busy for social visits.
> 
> Nahdar also did not die in his brief arc. Kit and Nahdar were assigned together by the Council and weren't a great match, temperament-wise; Kit (for all he's a complete goofball at heart) is quiet, humble and introspective and as we all saw, Nahdar is most assuredly none of those things. Kit visibly disapproves of Nahdar's attitude throughout that episode and, as he also did not die (he was busy healing Commander Fil after he was thrown and never tried to do something dumb like take on Grievous by himself) he finished the Clone Wars as well. He's just been off doing Knight things this whole time.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bant has her work cut out for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some Bant! I wish this chapter was longer but it's been fighting with me for a month so _yeets it into the void at 4 am_
> 
> Many thanks to Shira, Tessa, and Wander for gratuitous enabling! And many _many_ thanks to Shira for helping me come up with a treatment plan for the green bean.

Kit looked terrible the next morning. Bant had expected him to be tired- beginning to explore years of trauma was an exhausting experience- but this was beyond the pale.

“Did you sleep last night?”

Kit was single mindedly focused on rearranging a floor pillow. “I meditated,” he finally replied, sounding defensive.

“Did something happen?”

“I’m on Nova restrictions, now. Vod’alor’s orders.” Kit settled down, looking tired. “Which means I cannot leave Concord Dawn without his express permission, and he won’t consider lifting them for at least a year.”

Bant was once again deeply impressed by just how hard the Vode had worked to make sure their own were cared for. “That’s a good thing, Kit,” she assured him.

“I know, but at the same time… how can I just sit here and do nothing while the others suffer?”

“That’s being resolved, I hear.”

“Yes but not yet, and the Senate takes forever to make decisions. Even if Cody goes through with his threat to just steal the Jedi and bring them here, that doesn’t change the fact that just _staying here_ is a dereliction of my duties as a Council member.”

“The Council you didn’t even want to be on,” Bant reminded him.

“I know that, but I am! I have responsibilities to the Jedi and I want nothing more than to just stay here and be self-indulgent but it’s not _right._ ”

“Can you look Rex and Bacara in the eye and tell them it’s self-indulgent for you to have a family with them?”

Kit couldn’t meet her steady gaze. Bant waited patiently for him to find an answer. When none was forthcoming, she sighed. “Kit… You look so _happy_ in the pictures you showed me. Do you honestly think that was a mistake?”

Kit made a pained sound, flinching.

“Self-care isn't selfish, Kit. You're allowed to take care of yourself, you're allowed to set boundaries and say no. Even to the Council, and to the Senate, though I don't think that you know you can."

"A good Jedi-"

"A good Jedi takes care of themselves, Master, you taught me that. Right now, we’re going to focus on that.” Bant settled across from him, taking a moment to structure her thoughts. “We’re going to review the basics- taking care of yourself, getting back in touch with who you really are, and accepting what has happened without comparing yourself to others. Turn your focus inward again.”

Kit sighed softly. He was still bleeding exhaustion and anxiety and likely didn’t realize he was doing so. “I apologize in advance if I start acting like a petulant child,” he mumbled. “These new restrictions are both a relief and a frustration. And… I think I would like to ask you to hold onto this for me, for a while.” Kit pulled his lightsaber from his belt, offering it to her. “I realized I am no longer in harmony with the crystals, and the danger of that… I can’t be around my family with a weapon in as much pain as I am. I have the crystals to meditate with, but I am uncomfortable to keep the hilt for now. I asked Bacara and Rex but neither were comfortable holding onto it. I trust you to keep it safe.”

“Of course, master,” Bant said, accepting it from him. “If it’s really what you want.”

“I’m not balanced right now, I don’t… I don’t trust myself. Especially not with Shel’ya at home.” Kit shuddered and his anxiety spiked.

“I’ll take good care of this,” Bant assured him, tucking the saber hilt safely onto her belt next to her own. She settled into meditation, waiting patiently for Kit to let her in. He was a mess of guilt, shame, and anxiety, so much more than what had been bleeding through his shields.

“Tell me more about your crystals,” Bant suggested into the space between them. Kit seemed more comfortable with showing her the answers than replying outright; memories of finding them on Ilum, assembling his saber for the first time, countless hours of meditation since. Hours that had tapered off during and after the war, when meditation grew harder to maintain. Pulled in too many directions at once with too much guilt to set boundaries and so he suffered and so did the crystals so entwined with him. He’d struggled the night before to meditate or sleep, and had been horrified to realize just out of tune the crystals were with both each other and himself. Wounded as they were, it was too dangerous to even think of using his lightsaber right now, for fear of injuring them still further. He had a brief flash of terror of the blade turning red as he unknowingly pushed them to bleeding and that memory was snatched away and ruthlessly shoved down deeper. 

That explained a lot.

“You aren’t going to Fall, Kit,” Bant said firmly, out loud, to drive the point home.

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” came his slightly petulant, grumbled response.

“And you’re not supposed to be hiding things from me. I can’t help if I don’t know what to help with.” Bant sighed. “Do you have your crystals with you?”

Kit drew them out of a pocket, looking mildly insulted that she’d even asked.

“Why don’t you use our time today to meditate with your crystals,” Bant suggested. “I can stay or go, whichever you’d like.” One’s relationship with one’s crystals was deeply personal, after all. Kit looked torn. “I can always meditate with my own,” she offered, and Kit’s expression smoothed out in relief.

“Yes, please, stay,” he said, calmer for it as he settled back into meditation. Bant focused on her own crystal as promised, but kept the meditation shallow so she could also monitor Kit. Some of the ragged edges of his shields slowly smoothed out, growing stronger throughout the day, and he was no longer bleeding stress and agitation by the time she bade him farewell for the evening. All in all, it was a productive day.

Now if only they could all be like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear it stops hurting at some point. I swear it.
> 
> Kit has two crystals in his saber so it works more effectively underwater. I know precisely nothing about Bant's saber so I'm rolling with just one crystal, as she's primarily a healer and thus isn't fighting underwater battles all that often. As we've seen other Jedi underwater using theirs, it seems like one crystal is more or less sufficient for the task if it's not an everyday thing.

**Works inspired by this one:**

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